We’ve spent quite a lot of time watching the Camp Nou over the past few weeks, particularly at the seemingly never-ending saga of Lionel Messi’s proposed move to Manchester City, which didn’t happen.
We expected a different player to be on his way from Catalonia and the move of Luis Suarez to Juventus looked all but done and dusted last week, but the Barca player is just keeping us guessing, a game they like to play in Barcelona!
With the new Serie A season days away, teams the length and breadth of Italy are still seeking out new blood while trying to hold on to the players they believe will deliver a successful season.
And when new Barca head coach Ronald Koeman made it crystal clear to Suarez that he wasn’t wanted at the Camp Nou, Juventus were quick to swoop for the 33-year-old striker.
Northern Spain has been a happy hunting ground for Juve already this summer after midfield ace Arthur moved to I Bianconeri from Barcelona for a fee of 72m Euros rising to 82m.
Miralem Pjanic went the other way in a deal worth 65m Euros, the Bosnian signing a four-year deal, while Arthur has committed to Juventus on a five-year contract. The 23-year-old Brazilian’s deal went through smoothly and it looked like Suarez was ready to follow.
The Uruguayan hitman has agreed to personal terms with the Old Lady, but according to reports in the Spanish media, he wants to take a little more time to consider his options before he makes his last big move of his career.
There have even been whispers in Madrid that the 33-year-old Uruguayan quite fancies a move to Atletico and that would be some coup for head coach Diego Simeone.
But Juventus remain the favourites to land Suarez so we’ll have to watch this space.
Lots of shopping in Milan
It’s Europe’s fashion capital, oozing with style, and there’s been plenty of money flying around in Milan over the last few weeks, though more on football players than suits!
Having pushed Juventus so close for much of last season, Inter Milan have been active in the market. Last summer’s marquee signing, Romelu Lukaku, who joined Antonio Conte’s Inter revolution in an 80m Euro switch from Manchester United, has enjoyed himself immensely, scoring 34 goals in all competitions, equalling Brazilian legend Ronaldo’s achievement in 1998.
This summer Alexis Sanchez has confirmed his move from Manchester United to Inter and will hope to link up successfully with his former Red Devil team-mate.
The Nerazzurri have been busy elsewhere. They’ve completed deals for 23-year-old Italy midfielder Nicolo Barella for 25m Euro and Stefano Sensi for 20m Euro after the two both spent last season on loan. Meanwhile, full-back Achraf Hakimi has joined Inter from Real Madrid for a cool 40m.
For a smaller outlay, the switch of Aleksandar Kolarov from Roma to Inter could be a smart signing. Antonio Conte knows the defender’s strengths, at either end of the pitch, from his time at Manchester City. He has a bullet of a dead-ball kick and this could turn out to be a shrewd move by the Inter head coach.
Across the road, Ante Rebic has made his move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Milan permanent, having spent last season with the Rossoneri. Rebic scored 12 goals in 30 games last term and that persuaded Stefano Pioli to offer the Croatian winger a five-year deal. He will be wearing the red and black number 12 shirt.
Meanwhile, Milan favourite Giacomo Bonaventura has left the San Siro after six successful seasons and is heading to Fiorentina. Highly rated young midfielder Sandro Tonali is set to fill the void in the middle of the park, though, as he arrives from Brescia on loan.
Denmark skipper Simon Kjaer has joined Milan from Sevilla and the Denmark centre-back will add poise and experience to the Rossoneri defence.
Elsewhere, Napoli’s signing of striker Victor Osimhen has elevated Gli Azzurri to third favourites in the current Serie A 2020 betting markets.
And Roma have been busy, splashing out a combined 40m Euros to bring in an attacker, a midfielder and a defender. They’ve brought in Carles Perez from Barcelona, Frenchman Jordan Veretout from Fiorentina in a 16m switch, and highly rated wing-back Gianluca Mancini has arrived from Atalanta.
So that’s it for now. The Suarez move will surely happen, one way or the other, in the next few days. But hey, this is a great time to be an SBOTOP football fan. The Premier League and La Liga are underway, and Serie A starts on Saturday.
But in the meantime, there’s still plenty of wheeling and dealing to do, and you can keep up with all the latest Serie A 2020 news and updates right here.
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