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Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As usual, there are many exciting stories from the rumour mill to read. So, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian top flight.
Real Madrid to sell Isco for €80 million instead of Napoli target James Rodriguez
The Colombian star's future remains uncertain since the player left Bayern Munich a month ago. Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane does not apparently want to include the player in his plan. The Los Blancos bought the former Monaco star for a record fee, but the player has gradually fallen out of favour since.
Napoli have revealed that they are interested in the 28-year-old. However, the club's president Aurelio de Laurentiis has been infuriated with Real Madrid's demands. The Los Blancos reportedly want to sell the player for €42 million. However, Napoli want to sign the player on loan with an option to buy.
James Rodriguez had worked together with Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid and Bayern. He was able to earn consistent game time under the Italian manager. Surprisingly, a recent report states that Real Madrid could keep the unfortunate Colombian if the club are able to sell Isco.
The Los Blancos are reportedly ready to offload the former Malaga star as long as they receive an offer of €80 million. Thus, Madrid would need to keep James Rodriguez to ensure that their midfield options are not too limited after Isco departs.
The Spanish midfielder barely earned game time under Santiago Solari. Zinedine Zidane's second appointment did offer fresh hope for him to remain at Madrid. Unfortunately, Isco has still failed to impress, as he was unable to register an assist or a goal in his last 8 games for the club.
Inter table €80 million plus bonuses for Nicolas Pepe
It is well known that Nicolas Pepe no longer wants to stay at Lille. Lille President Gerrard Lopez has confirmed that the player will depart from the club this summer. Pepe has caught the attention of several top clubs such as Arsenal. However, a recent report revealed that Inter Milan have submitted €80 million bid with bonuses for the Ivorian starlet.
The report further stated that Arsenal and Liverpool have also tabled an offer. On the other hand, Napoli have been working on a deal for Pepe even before placing interest in James Rodriguez. The Partenopei have decided to offer €55 million plus Adam Ounas.
Ounas has impressed in the Africa Cup of Nations despite his limited game time. The Algerian star has played a crucial role in taking Algeria to the final of the competition, contributing 3 goals and 1 assist. However, Pepe was unable to impress in the international tournament, failing to produce a goal or an assist from 3 appearances.
Former Inter director wants Wanda Nara to step away from Mauro Icardi
The Argentinian striker's future has been under radar for some time now. Mauro Icardi has faced numerous problems since appointing Wanda Nara as his agent. He was stripped of Inter Milan captaincy, and his productivity considerably declined in the last season.
The 26-year-old was also nowhere to be seen on several Inter games due to off the field problems. On the other hand, Inter have confirmed their interest in Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku. Thus, Icardi's career at Inter will come to an end if the Belgian arrives.
Former Inter director Walter Sabatini suggested that Wanda Nara is not the right agent for Icardi. Sabatini even stated that he would gladly find a new boyfriend for the agent to make her go away from the Argentinian star.
“If Icardi was my player, I’d find a boyfriend for Wanda so that she stepped away from Mauro, who’s a wonderful lad and a loving father,” Sabatini said.
Gianluca Mancini has no regret over Roma move
Atalanta defender Gianluca Mancini will miss out on next season's Champions League after joining AS Roma. Roma have recently signed the player on a €2 million loan deal with an obligation to buy for €13 million and a set of bonuses up to €8 million. Mancini is expected to replace Kostas Manolas, who left for Napoli on a €36 million transfer.
Atalanta secured a spot in the Champions League after finishing 3rd in Serie A. Roma, on the other hand, will play in the Europa League next season after failing to secure top 4 spots. Nevertheless, Mancini revealed that he is happy with the move and believed that Roma are difficult to turn down.
“I wanted to come here because Roma is a big club. In the end, the negotiations all ended well,” Mancini said.
“It’s not a case of leaving Atalanta. Roma are a big club, and it is difficult to turn down a call from them. I had two important years in Bergamo, we managed to qualify for the Champions League – but Roma is a big opportunity that doesn’t come around often, and I wanted to take it now and get started on this new adventure."
“I was impressed by (Paulo Fonseca), it’s not every day that you get a call from a Coach as successful as him. So I can only say that I can’t wait to get started.”
Mino Raiola reveals the reason behind Matthijs de Ligt's Juventus move
Matthijs de Ligt has finally put his drawn-out transfer saga to an end after signing for Juventus. The Dutch defender had attracted numerous top clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United. Ajax director Edwin van der Sar previously claimed that de Ligt would move to either England or Spain.
However, the player's agent Mino Raiola revealed that the 19-year-old has his reasons to join the Old Lady. The super-agent stated that Juventus are the right club for de Ligt to learn to become the best defender. Raiola also hinted that the player would learn a lot from Leonardo Bonucci to achieve that objective.
“It’s not a question of who wanted him most, but Juve are the best team for him,” the agent said.
“It’s important for a defender to come to Italy. He can learn to become the best in the world here.
“This step is necessary for his career. Certainly, he’s the best young defender. After that, he only needs a bit of time to show that he’s the best on a different level.
“In terms of work and mentality, he approaches and, can indeed even surpass, Nedved. He reminds me of Ibra for his ambition.
“It’s always good to play alongside great champions like Bonucci. As for whether Ronaldo told him to join Juve, you have to ask him. I don’t know.
