We are going to get more Zlatan Ibrahimovic since he has signed a fresh one-year deal to stay at AC Milan, who he helped end their 11-year wait for the Serie A title last term.
The Sweden international, 40, reportedly took a paycut to shun retirement which helps the Rossoneri financial-wise as they continue to pursue reinforcements this summer ahead of their title defence.
Elsewhere, middling clubs Sassuolo and Torino have been active sellers in the transfer market as they’re aiming to cash in from their homegrown stars, while Juventus continue to retool their roster to further strengthen their Serie A 2022 odds.
Continue to read on below as SBOTOP brings to you the newest Serie A 2022 updates.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the mend, but AC Milan to bring in backups
Despite his injury woes, AC Milan were eager to retain Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s services as coach Stefano Pioli sees him as an important presence in the dressing room.
After all, the Swede remains a box office draw as he managed to rack up eight league goals in 23 appearances – making him the third leading scorer behind Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud.
But AC Milan supporters would have to wait for him to be back on the field since he faces up to eight months out as he recently undergone surgery on his knee which has bothered him all season long.
Realising this, AC Milan have prioritised adding more firepower up front and that’s what they’ve did thus far.
Paulo Dybala remains their ideal target following his departure at Juventus, but they’ll be in a bidding war against city rivals Inter.
Amid the tug of war for Dybala, I Rossoneri have added Divock Origi from Liverpool on a free and they’ve recently held talks with Club Brugge for 21-year-old Charles De Keteleare and Hakim Ziyech, following an underwhelming campaign with Chelsea last term where he only notched four goals.
I Rossoneri are willing to acquire Ziyech via loan with an obligation to buy for around €30-M, while Club Brugge are demanding a similar amount for De Keteleare.
Sassuolo and Torino’s aces likely to move elsewhere
Several reports claim that Sassuolo have decided to sell at least two of their gems this summer, while Andrea Belotti is looking for a new challenge in his professional career.
I Neroverdi have held talks with various clubs for Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Frattesi, and Domenico Berardi – three of their standouts last term after combining for 35 goals and 17 assists.
Scamacca is one of PSG’s top targets, but Sassuolo are demanding at least €50-M for the tall striker. Should the Parisiens agree, Scamacca will join the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe to form a potent attacking unit under new manager Christophe Galtier.
Meanwhile, Davide Frattesi and Domenico Berardi are both in AS Roma’s list as they’re preparing on the possibility of losing Nicolo Zaniolo this summer.
AS Roma are offering €20-M for Frattesi despite the €25-M price tag set by Sassuolo initially, although there’s growing optimism that the two clubs will meet halfway.
As for Berardi, he recently said that he is ready to leave Sassuolo after 11 years, and he’s also being eyed by Juventus and AC Milan. The highly-covered 27-year-old is valued at around €41-M and has two years left on his current contract with Sassuolo.
Andrea Belotti, on the other hand, confirmed that he’ll leave Torino after having spent seven years there.
He joined Torino from Palermo for €7.5-M in August 2015 and he has scored 113 goals in 251 matches during his stay. Last season, he only scored eight in 23 games in an injury-riddled campaign.
Various clubs from Serie A and Premier League are reportedly on the lookout, such as AS Roma, Newcastle, Everton, and West Ham United.
Juventus forced to make a tough decision on wantaway star
Matthijs de Ligt has informed Juventus that he wants to be sold after their extension talks have broken down. The Dutch centre-back is under contract until 2024 and I Bianconeri were looking to extend his current deal to 2026.
Juve were unwilling to increase his wages and they wanted to add a release clause of £98-M should other clubs plan to get him.de Ligt apparently wants his release clause to be at a lower price at £68-M.
Should de Ligt gets his wish to leave, he’ll have plenty of options since he’s one of the best young defenders in the market. He is currently being linked to Chelsea, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich.
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