Forward in small steps. After the acceleration of the past few days, Milan and Manchester City they study what to do on the Balotelli front. Mino Raiola and the lawyer Rigo have been in London since Sunday, where they are carrying on the negotiations. The parties have reached an agreement on the formula (definitive sale with installment payment) but not on the entity of the operation. City are asking for 23 million, the Rossoneri are offering 20. The gap isn't huge, but it's there and it will take an effort on everyone's part to bridge it. Meanwhile Balotelli waits (and hopes) to move to "his" Milan, a team he has been rooting for since he was a child. Mancini in the meantime he called him up for tonight's match against QPR and he, like a good professional, replied present. In short, it is not yet the time to claim victory, but the will of all parties is to close as soon as possible. It is no coincidence that silent optimism reigns in Via Turati, despite the fact that the English press spoke in the evening of a surprise inclusion of Juventus. A news that has not found confirmation in Italy and that smacks of a move by City to hurry Milan. The parties will meet again this morning at 9: will there be white smoke?
The situation at Inter is more nebulous. While Branca remained in Milan to conclude the sale of Coutinho to Liverpool (the Brazilian is already in England and will undergo medical tests this morning), a Nerazzurri emissary left for Sao Paulo where he met with Corinthias for Paulinho. The meeting (which took place during the night) will be decisive for Moratti's next move, who appeared rather doubtful about the operation. “To do something you need the right conditions – the Nerazzurri president declared in the morning. – Mine are, we need to see if theirs have changed…”. Translated: Moratti does not want to go beyond 15 million, while Corinthias asks for 20. It is no coincidence that Edu Gaspar, sporting director of the Brazilian club, continues to be pre-tactical: “Many clubs like Paulinho, not just Inter. We have not received any official offer. If Inter want him, he'll have to talk to us first, then to the player. But I repeat, we still don't know anything." Hard to believe, also because otherwise the deal would be impossible. "There's no news, but the transfer market is open until 31 January..." Moratti then announced in the evening, but with these premises, the deal isn't easy. Meanwhile, the possibility of seeing Didier Drogba in Italy has definitely vanished. The Ivorian has signed a contract with Sneijder's Galatasaray, with whom he will play for the next 18 months.
