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    Inter Milan win Serie A title to end Juventus’ nine-year dominance of Italian football

    INTER MILAN have clinched their first Serie A title in 11 years after second-placed Atalanta drew 1-1 against Sassuolo.Atalanta needed to win to push back Inter’s celebrations after Antonio Conte’s men beat Crotone 2-0 on Saturday.
    Inter Milan have won their first Serie A title since 2010 after they beat Crutone on SaturdayCredit: AP
    Inter’s Scudetto triumph was confirmed after Atalanta failed to beat Sassuolo, with Luis Muriel having his late penalty savedCredit: AP

    Former Tottenham star Christian Eriksen fired in the opener for the Nerazzurri, before Arsenal target Achraf Hakimi sealed the victory in stoppage time.
    Inter are 13 points clear at the top of the table having won 25 times and losing just two out of their 34 matches so far this season.
    It is the club’s first Scudetto since Jose Mourinho guided the side to a historic treble in 2010.
    In doing so, they have ended Juventus’ dominance in the Italian top-flight where they had won the Serie A title nine years in a row.
    The Old Lady have suffered in the league this term, with Andrea Pirlo’s men currently fifth, though they could climb as high as second if they beat Udinese by over four goals later on Sunday.
    With 19 Serie A titles to their name, Inter have overtaken arch-rivals AC to become Italy’s second most successful side.
    Inter have led Serie A since beating Lazio 3-1 on February 14, with the club going one better than last term after they finished as runners-up.
    A number of former Premier League stars – including ex-Chelsea gaffer Conte – have been instrumental in their triumph.
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    Arsenal target Achraf Hakimi got on the score sheet for Inter against CrutoneCredit: EPA
    Inter have went one better than last season after finishing as runners-up to JuventusCredit: AFP

    Inter Milan’s top earners according to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport
    Former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has banged in 21 goals in 33 games, while his former Red Devils team-mates Ashley Young and Alexis Sanchez have 50 Serie A appearances between them this term.
    And full-back Matteo Darmian – on loan from United – has become a key player under Conte where he has chipped in with three goals and as many assists.
    Meanwhile Eriksen – who left Spurs to join Inter in January 2020 – has impressed after forcing his way back into the team.
    Inter can have Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli to thank for Sunday’s celebrations after he saved Luis Muriel’s penalty after Marlon was sent off in 75th minute.
    Atalanta were reduced to ten men in the 22nd minute when Pierluigi Gollini was given his marching orders.
    But that didn’t bother the hosts as Robin Gosens broke the deadlock soon after, before Domenico Berardi’s second half spot-kick earned Sassuolo a share of the spoils.
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    Chelsea join Adrien Rabiot transfer race alongside Barcelona with Juventus midfielder available for £17m fee

    CHELSEA are reportedly battling Barcelona for the signing of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in the summer.The 26-year-old has played 41 times this season, but it is understood that boss Andrea Pirlo has deemed him surplus to requirements.
    Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot is being eyed up by Chelsea and BarcelonaCredit: Getty
    Rabiot has featured in 29 Serie A games this season – starting on 21 occasions
    And with the France international having two years left to run on his contract in Turin, Juve are willing to cash in on the player.
    According to Calciomercato, the Serie A giants would listen to offers in the region of £17million for Rabiot – who they signed on a free transfer in 2019.
    They claim that both the Blues and the Blaugrana are eyeing up a swoop at the end of the season.
    It has been stated that Barcelona are leading the race to secure Rabiot’s services with his agent and mother Veronique already making contact with the Spanish side.
    Should Rabiot decide to make the move to Stamford Bridge, he would link up with former gaffer Thomas Tuchel who managed him at Paris Saint-Germain.
    Chelsea see him as the perfect partner for N’Golo Kante in the middle of the pitch.
    And Rabiot is known to be a huge admirer of his French compatriot after he lauded the ex-Leicester man during the most recent international break.
    He said: “He never stops running. It’s easy to play alongside him.”
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    Juventus are believed to be keen to offload the ex-Manchester City youth star due to a number of disappointing displays this campaign.
    Manchester United are another club that have been heavily linked with a potential deal to sign Rabiot.
    Reports have suggested that a swap could happen between Juve and the Old Lady for Rabiot and Donny van de Beek.
    Meanwhile there has been speculation that Alex Telles could be heading to Italy with Rabiot coming to England in the opposite direction.
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    Man Utd ‘willing to offer Donny van de Beek to Roma in swap transfer for Nicolo Zaniolo’ after flop first season

    MANCHESTER UNITED are willing to offload Donny van de Beek after just one season, according to reports.And they may try to use the flop transfer as a makeweight in a deal for Roma sensation Nicolo Zaniolo.
    Donny van de Beek could be on his way out of Manchester United after just one seasonCredit: Getty
    Nicolo Zaniolo could be eyed as part of a swap deal from Roma despite being out injuredCredit: AFP
    Van de Beek, 24, arrived from Ajax last summer in a £39million deal but has struggled to make his mark at Old Trafford.
    The Dutchman has made just three Premier League starts with Bruno Fernandes the clear first-choice No10.
    And Van de Beek’s tally of one goal and two assists from 32, largely substitute appearances mean United may look to cut their losses by shipping him back out this summer.
    And La Repubblica via Sport Witness state they could try and do a trade with Roma for Zaniolo.
    The report says the Red Devils were ‘pressing and testing the water’ and have now ‘proposed an exchange’ with the Serie A side.
    Zaniolo, 21, was linked with United and Paris Saint-Germain back in 2019 before Tottenham reportedly had a £45m bid rejected last summer.
    The attacking midfielder is under contract until 2024 but has not played a single minute of club football this season due to a cruciate ligament injury.
    But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still appears interested in the seven-cap Italy international.
    And on top of that, it is thought his price tag will have dropped as a result of his injury woes – despite the Roma hierarchy insisting he ‘cannot be touched’.
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    The offer of sending Van de Beek the other way could make a deal even more likely.
    He is understood to be well liked by Roma but his wage demands could prove a stumbling block.
    United and Roma could use the Europa League semi-finals as the perfect chance for negotiations.
    Edinson Cavani helped fire the Red Devils to a 6-2 win in the first leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
    Van de Beek was an unused sub as United put one-and-a-half feet in May’s final in Gdansk.
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    Cristiano Ronaldo has become ‘nervous, irritable and distant from team-mates’ at Juventus with future in doubt

    CRISTIANO RONALDO has become ‘nervous and irritable’ at Juventus – and has ‘given up’, according to reports.The 36-year-old has not enjoyed the best season of his career this time around, despite still managing 25 goals in 29 Serie A outings.
    Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, is reportedly unhappy at JuventusCredit: Rex
    And according to Gazzetta dello Sport, his entire demeanour around the club has changed.
    Ronaldo has failed to reach a single Champions League semi-final during his three years in Turin, the competition he was signed to win.
    And this season his side are facing a battle to even qualify for next season’s tournament.
    Juve are currently fourth in Serie A, only ahead of fifth-placed AC Milan on goal difference after winning NINE consecutive titles.
    And Ronaldo is reportedly not helping matters behind the scenes.
    The Portuguese is claimed to be ‘nervous, irritable and very distant from his team-mates’.
    And Gazzetta also allege that he has ‘given up’ on achieving his goals at Juventus – not showing ‘the fight’ that he did at first after his 2018 move from Real Madrid.
    They report that he is not ‘hiding his feelings’ anymore, and that he is ‘isolated’ – getting ‘closer and closer’ to leaving the club.
    Juve were eliminated from the Champions League by Porto last monthCredit: AP
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    Things have ‘got worse’ since Juve’s dramatic Champions League exit at the hands of Porto last month.
    Ronaldo will have one year remaining on his lucrative contract come the end of the season.
    And cash-strapped Juventus are under pressure to get him off the wage bill – particularly if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
    Real Madrid have distanced themselves from bringing CR7 back to Santiago Bernabeu.
    But Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are thought to be serious contenders to sign the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
    Ronaldo played 292 times for the Red Devils between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals as he rose to superstardom at Old Trafford.

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    How Juventus could line up under Max Allegri with NO Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala taking limelight

    JUVENTUS are reportedly set to hire old coach Max Allegri and rebuild their squad around Paulo Dybala rather than Cristiano Ronaldo.The Old Lady’s decade of Serie A dominance has come crumbling down under the stewardship of Andrea Pirlo.

    Max Allegri could return for a second spell at JuventusCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    And now the Bianconeri are struggling to even secure the vital fourth Champions League qualifying spot despite having claimed nine Scudettos on the bounce.
    Juve are level on points with Napoli in third and AC Milan in fifth with five games of the season to go and Pirlo has been warned he faces the sack if he fails to secure a spot in Europe’s premier competition.
    Gazzetta reports there is set to be a ‘sweet revolution’ in Turin this summer with 53-year-old Allegri potentially returning to the helm.
    Allegri won five consecutive league titles between 2015 and 2019 in his initial spell at the Allianz Stadium but has been out of work since leaving nearly two years ago.
    He won four domestic doubles in a row and finished with a win percentage of over 70.
    And Allegri is a big a fan of Argentine Dybala as well as Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata who could form the basis of his new attack if Allegri can make his move from Atletico Madrid permanent.
    Ronaldo never got on that well with Allegri and publicly welcomed the arrival of Maurizio Sarri by saying ‘Now we are more attacking’.
    CR7 is unlikely to hang around if he is no longer the main attraction.
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    Manager Andrea Pirlo only pockets £1.6million-per-year after taking charge of the club

    And with Juve in need of cash amid the pandemic and the Portuguese superstar earning £540,000 a week – a rumoured transfer, even back to Manchester United, could be mutually beneficial.
    Allegri could revert to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Morata leading the line and Dybala playing as a No10 in behind.
    Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski may be used as the widemen.
    AS reports Allegri will look to add another central midfielder with Sassuolo’s Italy international Manuel Locatelli a key target and he could end up partnering former Arsenal ace Aaron Ramsey.
    And there is hope Gianluigi Donnarumma may arrive as a free agent after the keeper’s extension talks with AC Milan hit a stumbling block and he could take over as No1 from ex-Gunner Wojciech Szczesny.
    With reports Giorgio Chiellini, 36, could retire at the end of this season, Allegri may partner Matthijs de Ligt with Leonardo Bonucci in the heart of defence with Alex Sandro and another former Chelsea man in Juan Cuadrado as the full-backs.
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    On-loan Chelsea star Fikayo Tomori’s £25m AC Milan transfer ‘in doubt’ after series of costly errors

    CHELSEA star Fikayo Tomori has nearly blown his chance of making his loan to AC Milan permanent, according to reports.SunSport revealed the centre-back was set to sign for the San Siro outfit for £25million at the end of the season, but after a string of costly errors Milan are said to be having second thoughts.
    Fikayo Tomori’s permanent transfer to AC Milan is at risk after some mistakesCredit: Getty
    Tomori joined Milan on loan in January.
    And the 23-year-old England ace had been outstanding in defence for the Italian giants – cementing a place in their starting XI.
    But club officials believe he has ‘crumbled’ and made ‘too many errors of late’, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
    In the last fortnight, Tomori handed Genoa’s Mattia Destro the equaliser in Milan’s 2-1 win.
    He was also at fault during Sassuolo’s 2-1 victory at the San Siro last week, as well as in the recent 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Lazio.
    Blame is being spread among the Milan squad but Tomori is reportedly considered ‘much more responsible than others’.
    Tomori met with Milan directors Frederic Massara and Paolo Maldini on Wednesday and discussed his future.
    The feeling at Milan is still that they would like to make the deal permanent – but the owners are reportedly going to take a little more convincing after recent events.
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    SunSport understands the Rossoneri have a £25m option to buy Tomori at the end of the season, through a clause inserted in his loan.
    But due to the coronavirus pandemic, AC are struggling financially and are looking to negotiate a lower fee.
    And Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has been keeping tabs on the ex-Derby loanee and mulling over his plans for him in the coming years.
    Earlier this season, Maldini said: “Fikayo is a player with particular characteristics, pace and intensity.
    “From a physical standpoint we believe he’s a guy who can make the difference.
    “He has this ability to be aggressive and defend in a back four. Football is headed more and more in the direction of teams playing man to man.
    “Within that, though, it’s still important to stay compact and not lose your shape. Tomori is able to do both of these things very well.”
    Elsewhere, AC Milan could put Alessio Romagnoli up for sale this summer to raise much-needed transfer funds.
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    Patrice Evra trolls Cristiano Ronaldo as he shows off abs in topless photo and tells old Man Utd pal ‘don’t be jealous’

    PATRICE EVRA poked fun at old Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo with a topless photo on Instagram.The Frenchman showed off his impressive abs in the snap and told Ronnie: “Don’t be jealous.”
    Patrice Evra uploaded this impressive topless photo on Instagram
    And he poked fun at his old team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo who is partial to flashing his own abs online
    Evra, 39, and Ronaldo, 36, were Old Trafford team-mates from 2006 when the left-back joined from Monaco.
    Having played together for two-and-a-half-years, the pair struck up a real bond both on and off the pitch.
    And they remain friends despite their careers taking different paths.
    On Thursday, the Frenchman uploaded the shot of himself leaning against the bath with some flowery trousers on.
    His physique looks outstanding and he captioned the post: “No alcohol ❌ no smoke 🚬 ❌ healthy food 🥘 ✅ then you can pose like @cristiano before a nice hot bath 🛁.
    “Don’t be jealous bro I just wanna share 😂😂🔥🙏🏽 #ilovethisgame #postive4evra #fit #healthylifestyle.”
    Ronaldo has an incredible physique and is a notoriously dedicated professional, which Evra has always been quick to acknowledge.
    And one of the former West Ham left-back’s most famous anecdotes is when he went to Ronaldo’s house after training at United only to be roped into another session.
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    Speaking to ITV in 2018, he said: “I would give advice to anybody, when Cristiano invites you for lunch at his house, just say no.
    “He once said, ‘Patrice, come over after training.’
    “I went, you know I was really tired, and at the table there was only salad and plain white chicken so I was like, OK, and water, not any juice.
    “We started eating and I was thinking some big meat would be coming after that but there was nothing.
    “He just finished and he stood up and he started playing with a ball, doing some skills and he said, ‘Let’s do some two-touch’.”
    Evra added: “I was like, can I just finish eating? He said ‘No, no let’s play two-touch.’
    “We start playing two-touch. After that he said let’s go to the pool to swim, I was like OK… after going in the jacuzzi, the sauna, I’m done.
    “I say, ‘Cristiano why have we come here, have we come here because we have a game tomorrow, or just for lunch?’.
    “So that’s why I would recommend to anyone when Cristiano invites you to his house, don’t go – just say no because this guy, he’s a machine, he doesn’t want to stop training.”
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    Luke Shaw’s blistering Man Utd form is because ‘confidence is back’ and warns Roma’s Smalling he won’t go easy on him

    LUKE SHAW has warned former Manchester United team-mate Chris Smalling he won’t go easy on him during the Red Devils’ Europa League semi-final against Roma.The left-back also said his outstanding United form is down to the return of his confidence.
    Luke Shaw is full of confidence again which is why he is playing so well for Man UtdCredit: Getty
    Shaw also issued a warning to former team-mate Chris SmallingCredit: Getty
    United host the Serie A side in the first-leg of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday night.
    Shaw is playing the best football of his career and says he is loving being out on the pitch again.
    The 25-year-old said: “My form has been much improved, I’m enjoying my football. I’ve got my confidence back and I’m just loving playing football again.
    “Personally it’s nice for me to have a good season but that doesn’t really matter if we don’t have a successful season and that is to win a trophy.
    “If we don’t win a trophy and I’ve still had a good season I’ll be disappointed because the most important thing – and it’s why we play for a big club like Manchester United – is to win trophies.
    “Yeah I’ve been good but I want to help the team push for this trophy and cap off a great season and one I’ll be happy with if we do win the trophy.”
    Shaw’s former team-mate Smalling spent 10 years on the Old Trafford books since he signed from Fulham in 2010 and played 323 games and scored 18 goals for the Reds.
    He joined Roma on loan in August 2019 before making the switch permanent last October.
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    Former Red Devil Henrikh Mkhitaryan also plays for the Italian side but Shaw has no time for sentiment ahead of the European showdown.
    He added: “Mkhi and Chris, I was here with both of them, and I really missed them when they left, they were really good guys and brilliant players.
    “It’ll be really nice to see them, they’ve both been doing really well. They’ve both been a bit unfortunate with injuries but they’re back fit now and they will obviously make their team much stronger than before.
    “I’m looking forward to seeing them tonight but the game is the most important, so we won’t be friends during it but maybe after we’ll have a chat.”
    But asked if he will be taking it easy against his old mates, Shaw was emphatic.
    He added: “No, there’s none of that. We’re all professionals and it’s our job, we’re doing it for ourselves but also the fans so it’s very important to keep being professional.
    “It’ll be very nice to see them but we’ll leaving the talking until after. We need to win the game and doing everything to win it.”
    Watch the UEFA Europa League exclusively live on BT Sport, with coverage of Manchester United v Roma from 7.15pm this evening on BT Sport 2. Sign up for BT Sport Monthly Pass to watch BT Sport for a simple monthly fee of £25 with no contract. For more info go to bt.com/sport
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