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Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As we head even closer to the summer transfer market, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.
Lucas Paqueta praises former AC Milan boss Gattuso
Gennaro Gattuso officially terminated his AC Milan contract, following the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
AC Milan missed out on a top-four finish, despite the club spending heavily on players such as Krzysztof Piatek and Lucas Paqueta.
And Paqueta, who joined the Italian giants from Flamengo in the winter transfer window, praised Gattuso, despite the two working together for less than a season.
“Working with Gattuso was a wonderful experience.
“He gave me a lot of support and helped me adapt to Serie A. What he did in the dressing room, on the training pitch, the way he talks to you and motivates you is indescribable.
“Football in Italy is very tactical and played more without the ball but, with Gattuso’s help, I adapted quickly and understood what he wanted from me on the pitch.
“I was used to playing differently at Flamengo and had other roles on the field. The No 10 position I have with the national team is probably my favourite.
“I know I can give more to Milan and Brazil. I’m happy where I am, but I will always try to improve.”
Cristiano Ronaldo urges James Rodriguez to join Juventus
James Rodriguez future is unclear as Bayern Munich seem reluctant to trigger his €42 million purchase option. Niko Kovac handed him just 13 Bundesliga starts throughout the 2018-19 campaign.
Kovac is likely to stay at the Allianz Arena for another season. Thus, Rodriguez may need to look for another club as Real Madrid are also not in favour of him. Both Napoli and Juventus have been linked with the Colombian.
Napoli have Carlo Ancelotti as their manager, with the Italian having worked together with Rodriguez at Real Madrid and Bayern. Juventus, however, have Cristiano Ronaldo, who also has a relationship with the Colombian.
According to the report, Ronaldo wants his former Real Madrid teammate to sign for Juventus. The Portuguese megastar even had numerous FaceTime discussions with the Colombian to convince him to move to Turin.
Ajax star likely to snub Manchester United for Juventus or Barcelona
Matthijs de Ligt is one of the most sought-after players in Europe, following his wonderful campaign with Ajax. It is no secret that several top European clubs want to sign the 19-year-old, who helped Ajax to a domestic double and played a key role as the Dutch giants reached the Champions League semi-finals.
However, a recent report has revealed that Juventus, Barcelona and Manchester United are the only teams seriously interested in De Ligt. Manchester United and Juventus need major defensive reinforcements this summer. Barcelona, on the other hand, might have to part ways with Samuel Umtiti first before signing the young centre-back.
Unfortunately, United's failure to secure Champions League football next season has made De Ligt's arrival highly unlikely. The Red Devils only managed to finish sixth in the Premier League, thereby leaving Barcelona and Juventus as the only other feasible options for the Ajax defender.
The Catalan giants have reportedly set their maximum price for De Ligt at €85 million. Thus, Juventus have to bid more than that amount to win the transfer race.
