Serie A

INTER MILAN have ended their iconic shirt sponsorship with long-term partners Pirelli.
The £10million-a-year deal with the tyre makers will not be extended beyond the current season.

Inter Milan’s kit deal with Pirelli is coming to an endCredit: AFP

And it brings to an end one of the most iconic partnerships in football – dating back to the 1995-96 season.
The famous black and blue stripes with the Pirelli logo has been worn by the likes of Adriano, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic over the years.
Jose Mourinho’s 2010 Champions League winning team also wore the famous strip.
Pirelli chief executive Marco Tronchetti Provera said: “We are in talks with (Alessandre) Antonello, (Beppe) Marotta (chief executives) and other Inter directors.

“We won’t be Inter’s kit sponsor anymore, but our relationship with the club will continue.”
Inter sit four points clear at the top of Serie A and are on course to end Juventus’ nine-year domestic dominance.
But the Milan side face a financial crisis off the field.
Inter are reportedly chasing a £146m cash injection to ensure they can compete next season.

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Adriano wearing the iconic Inter kit with Pirelli logoCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Zlatan Ibrahomovic and Jose Mourinho in Pirelli Inter Milan gearCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The Italian giants won the 2010 Champions League with the logo on their shirtsCredit: AFP
A raft of expensive transfers and the coronavirus pandemic have combined to create a financial black hole at the Italian club.
According to the Financial Times, majority shareholders Suning Holdings have so far unsuccessfully negotiated a possible investment with a number of firms.
Private equity group BC Partners are said to have ended talks with Inter’s Chinese owners after failing to agree on the price of an investment.
And Suning owned Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu FC ‘ceased operations’ this week after failing to find new buyers.
Suning have reportedly discussed either selling a portion of their stake in Inter, potentially at a loss, or a full takeover with a number of firms.
The Serie A side are thought to be valued at around £785m by the group with BC Partners leaning closer to £650m.
Should a deal fail to be agreed, the cash injection is reported as vital to Inter’s ability to compete after the summer.
Chinese giant Suning are said to be experiencing mounting debt problems back home amid political pressure on companies directing capital out of the country to foreign businesses.
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Since buying the Milan club for £235m in 2016, Inter president Steven Zhang, son of Suning founder Zhang Jindong, has pledged millions to the transfer market.
Achraf Hakimi, Romelu Lukaku and Nico Barella have all arrived for big fees.
While the likes of Stefano Sensi, Valentino Lazaro and Ionat Radu have so far failed to live up to their large price tags.
And veteran stars Christian Eriksen, Alexis Sanchez, Ashley Young, Aleksandar Kolarov and Arturo Vidal are all expected to be on considerable wage packets.

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ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has insisted that there is ‘no personal problem’ between himself and Romelu Lukaku.
The former Manchester United team-mates were involved in a furious bust up during their clubs’ Coppa Italia clash in January.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku clashed in JanuaryCredit: Reuters

Zlatan addressed the media ahead of his performance at SanremoCredit: EPA

But Ibrahimovic has played the incident down – while inviting Lukaku to join him at the Sanremo music festival.
Zlatan is set to perform at the 60-year-old Italian extravaganza, and revealed that Lukaku would be ‘welcome’ to keep him company.
He said: “If Lukaku came to Sanremo I would welcome him.
“There is no personal problem.

“What you do on the pitch stays on the pitch. If you want to come, you are welcome.”
Ibrahimovic, 39, is set to perform Io vagabondo by Italian band I Nomadi alongside Bologna manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, 52.
Butchering the 1970s hit is likely to be all that Zlatan does in the coming weeks, however, having sustained a left thigh injury.
The ill-timed knock will rule the Swede out of an emotional return to Old Trafford, when AC Milan face Manchester United in the Europa League round of 16.

Ibrahimovic and Lukaku played together at Manchester UnitedCredit: AFP – Getty
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As well as singing, Zlatan has decided to continue his war of words with NBA superstar LeBron James over political activism in sport.
LeBron, 36, has spoken out against police brutality in the US, as well as working tirelessly to increase voting in black communities.
Ibrahimovic told him to stick to doing ‘what he’s good at’, before LeBron hit back: “There’s no way I would ever just stick to sports, because I understand this platform and how powerful my voice is.”
The striker was subsequently branded ‘dumb as hell’ for his comments by two-time All-Star Baron Davis.
Ahead of Sanremo, however, Ibrahimovic has doubled down, saying: “Athletes unite the world, politics divide it.
“Our role is to unite the world by doing what we do best. Athletes should be athletes and politicians should do politics.”
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LeBron has insisted that he will not stop using his platform for positive changeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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REAL MADRID have joined Manchester City in a race to sign Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli.
The 23-year-old has impressed for the Serie A side so far this season as they currently occupy eighth place in the table.

Locatelli is expected to secure a big move to a huge European club in the summerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

And while Man City appeared to be the front-runners to sign the Italian at the end of the campaign, Calcio Mercato have now reported that Madrid are also keen to secure his signature.
At the end of the January transfer window, Sassuolo’s managing director Giovanni Carvenali commented on Man City’s interest in Locatelli.
He said: “Being on everyone’s lips is a good thing, it means that we are doing a positive job.
“These are all talks that we will have in the summer market.”

Pep Guardiola is said to be keen on Locatelli replacing Fernandinho at the end of the season as the Brazilian comes towards the end of his career.
Speaking previously about Locatelli’s future, his agent Stefano Castelnuovo confirmed the interest from Man City: “In the January transfer market Sassuolo will hardly sell the player.
“Manchester City are one of the teams monitoring him for the next market.”
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Liverpool boast the most-valuable squad in the Premier League
The current Premier League leaders shored up the defensive side of their game at the start of the 2020-21 campaign with the signing of Ruben Dias.
And that has proved one of the transfers of the season as City’s resolute defence has moved them 12 points clear at the top.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid have also been relatively solid in recent months but could be looking to freshen up their midfield as Luka Modric turns 35 years old.

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CHELSEA loanee Fikayo Tomori produced a sensational tackle for AC Milan against Roma as he continued to impress in Serie A.
The 23-year-old defender, who started ahead of club captain Alessio Romagnoli, dove in front of Lorenzo Pellegrini to deny the Roma midfielder what looked to be a certain goal.

Tomori’s challenge showcased what a superb defender he is proving to beCredit: Reuters

AC Milan went on to edge out Roma 2-1 thanks to a penalty from Franck Kessie and a second half winner from Ante Rebic.
The victory saw Milan close the gap to rivals Inter to four points at the top of the Serie A table.
And Tomori shone as a bright spark for Stefano Pioli’s side as he made more passes (60) and made more clearances (six) than any other player on the pitch.
The English defender has already made seven appearances for Milan since joining from Chelsea in the January window.

Speaking to Sky about the possibility of making his loan move to Milan a permanent one, technical director Paolo Maldini said: “Tomori is a good talent and we have a buy-option clause.
“The price is very high. AC Milan will decide at the end of this season and we will discuss it with Chelsea’s board.”
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The price Chelsea are asking for is reportedly £26million, a fee which could see Milan put off signing Tomori.

Former Blues boss Frank Lampard did not favour Tomori as he featured just four times in the 2020-21 campaign before going out on loan.
However, it remains to be seen whether new manager Thomas Tuchel will want to bed him into his team next season.
Chelsea have looked defensively solid under the German so far, conceding just two goals in nine games.

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JUVENTUS star Weston McKennie was the talk of town after a picture of him went viral over the weekend.
The 22-year-old American was captured by TV cameras appearing to stare at the reporter

Weston McKennie went viral on Twitter with this hilarious pic

The 22-year-old American was captured by TV cameras appearing to be staring at Diletta Leotta’s rear endCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta

The broadcaster has over seven million followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta

McKennie was looking in the direction of sports reporter Diletta Leotta, who hosts Serie A games on DAZN.
She was presenting from near the Juventus bench ahead of the 1-1 draw against Verona on Saturday night.
And social media users couldn’t help but notice his face as cameras panned towards him.
The 29-year-old reporter Diletta has hosted Serie A on DAZN since the 2018-19 season and has over seven million Instagram followers.

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The glamorous broadcaster hinted she may have found love after posting a picture of a large bouquet of flowers last month.
And Italian magazine Chi revealed the lucky man is actor Can Yaman – 2019’s GQ Men of the Year Best Rising Actor.
Yaman, 31, and Leotta, 29, were snapped by paparazzi in Rome and are understood to have enjoyed a romantic break together in the Italian capital where the Turkish film star was filming.

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She hosts Serie A games on DAZNCredit: AFP or licensors

She found love with Turkish actor Can Yaman, 31Credit: Getty – Contributor

Weston McKennie went viral on TwitterCredit: Twitter

Fans noticed the expression on his faceCredit: Twitter

Social media users flooded Twitter over the weekendCredit: Twitter

The hilarious image went viral after Juventus’ 1-1 draw with VeronaCredit: Twitter
Chi wrote on January 13: “Diletta Leotta and the Turkish actor Can Yaman, the new sex symbol of TV and social media, are in love.
“They have spent five days of passion in a large hotel in the centre of Rome.
“They exchanged kisses and effusions and the days just passed saw the birth of a new, overwhelming love.”

American star McKennie, meanwhile, is making a name for himself after leaving Texas and moving to Schalke four years ago.
He is currently on loan at Juventus for the season with an option to make the deal permanent.

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ANDREA PIRLO has revealed he asked Cristiano Ronaldo to ‘make himself heard’ in Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Verona.
The Serie A champs threw away more points yesterday as they conceded a 77th minute equaliser to the mid-table outfit.

Andrea Pirlo asked Cristiano Ronaldo to ‘make himself heard’ in Juventus’ draw at VeronaCredit: AFP or licensors

It means Juventus – who have won the last NINE Serie A titles – are ten points behind league leaders Inter Milan.
And they look in real danger of having their domination finally ended by Antonio Conte’s men.
Ronaldo came in for fierce criticism from Antonio Cassano this week amid claims he is the reason for Juventus’ decline.
Yet it was the 36-year-old icon who netted their only goal on Saturday, his 26th strike in 29 games this season.

And Pirlo believes his side were undone by a lack of other experienced stars.
Indeed, the former Italy ace says he urged Ronaldo to be more vocal on the pitch in order to inspire youngsters like Matthijs de Ligt and Dejan Kulusevski.
But Pirlo admits Ronnie, who is being linked with David Beckham’s Inter Miami, failed to lift the rest of his team-mates.
The boss told DAZN: “It’s disappointing as we knew it would be a difficult and hard-fought game.

“We managed to take the lead, which was the most difficult part, then didn’t keep hold of it.
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“There are these small details that unfortunately young players don’t understand can make the difference and lead to points.
“When you are in front, you must try to bring these games home.
“We were missing a lot of experienced players, so the younger elements didn’t understand the way the match was going.
“I asked Cristiano and Alex Sandro to speak to them and make their voices heard, but it wasn’t enough.”

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