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AC Milan and Arsenal are ready to go head-to-head for the signing of Espanyol midfielder Marc Roca, reports claim.

The 23-year-old deep-lying midfielder has been one of the few bright spots for Espanyol in a season which saw them relegated back to the second tier of Spanish football.

The Rossoneri have been persistently linked with a move for Roca over the past few weeks ahead of a summer that is likely to see them make wholesale changes in the midfield department.

Calcioomercato.it then reported over the weekend that it is Milan and Napoli who have set their sights on Roca and that despite relegation, Espanyol do not intend to give away their prized asset on the cheap, with an asking price of €20m set.

According to the latest from Spanish source La Razon, Espanyol’s relegation will see them offload several players including Roca, who can leave for €20-25m.

Arsenal are ‘dreaming’ of his arrival at the Emirates and want to put him alongside Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey to form a new-look midfield.
 
Milan have found an agreement with Red Bull Salzburg star Dominik Szoboszlai regarding a summer move, a report claims.

It is no secret that Szoboszlai is one of Milan’s major targets ahead of the upcoming transfer window and the probable arrival of Ralf Rangnick as the club’s new manager, a man who knows the player well from his time with Red Bull.


According to what has been revealed by Turkish outlet Tribun Dergi – a Twitter account with over 1.2million followers – Milan have reached an agreement over the signing of Szoboszlai, claiming the Rossoneri have ‘added the player to their squad’.

More details are expected in the next few hours regarding the operation which would be likely to cost Milan in the region of €24-25m, which is the release clause built into the Hungary international’s contract.

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain had also been heavily linked with the 19-year-old, but it seems Milan are set to win the race.
 
Report: Juventus, Sassuolo open talks over potential Manuel Locatelli transfer
6
Very, very interesting.

By Danny Penza@djp4cal Jul 14, 2020, 10:20am CEST
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Juventus v US Sassuolo - Serie A
Photo by Chris Ricco/Getty Images
Over the last few weeks, things have been relatively quiet in the transfer rumor front. Seeing as the season is the focus and team’s aren’t racing to get deals done before the books close on the fiscal year, that’s not much of a surprise. But, it’s gone relatively silent since then — which, in a normal year, would be completely crazy seeing as the middle of July is the time when transfer dealings and rumors are heating up.

That might be changing.

At least a little bit.

According to a report from Tuttosport on Monday, Juventus has opened talks with Sassuolo fo 20-year-old midfielder Manuel Locatelli. Maybe that’s a convenient report seeing as Juve are set to head over to the Emilia Romagna region of Italy for a Wednesday night matchup with that same Sassuolo team that has found a nice little vein of form in recent weeks. But there is this little piece of information as well: Locatelli has been tabbed with a €25 million price tag by Sassuolo.


Obviously, knowing what kind of financial constraints all clubs are under this summer (and probably the next few transfer windows after that) due to the coronavirus pandemic, Juventus will try like all hell to not pay a full €25 million transfer fee if they do intend to try and sign Locatelli later this summer. It is because of that notion that Tuttosport believes that Juventus could dip into its well of talented youngsters to try and lower that fee. The name that Tuttosport has centered in on as the player that could head to Sassuolo is Hans Nicolussi Caviglia, who recently turned 20 years old and has spent the 2019-20 season on loan with Perugia in Serie B.

Locatelli, who moved from Milan to Sassuolo last summer, has had a pretty strong breakout season during the current campaign. He’s one of the big reasons why Sassuolo has been able to move up into the top half of the table as well as surpass last year’s point total with plenty of room to spare. Locatelli, who turned 22 years old back in January, is one of five (!!) Sassuolo players to record at least five assists during the 2019-20 season, appearing in 27 games (25 starts) along the way.

Pursuing Locatelli, which for now is more press chatter than actual talk from the mouth of Chief Football Officer Fabio Paratici, would continue the trend of Juve’s summer to get the midfield younger and acquire players who still have room to grow. Locatelli has been a familiar name to many since he broke through with Milan as a teenager, but moving to Sassuolo and away from the San Siro has proven the right decision for him to get things back on track. He is very much the kind of midfielder that makes sense for the brand of football that Juventus’ current manager wants to play, and the kind of midfielder that Juve certainly needs more of in the future.
 
AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has revealed that he will make changes for Wednesday’s game against Parma, and jumped to the defence of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The Rossoneri are undefeated since the resumption of Serie A having beaten Roma, Lazio and Juventus in the six games since the break, with the most recent result being a battling 2-2 draw at Napoli on Sunday night.

They face a rival for the Europa League spot at home on Wednesday night, and La Gazzetta dello Sport reported earlier on Tuesday how Pioli could make a couple of changes compared to the XI deployed against the Partenopei.


Pioli spoke to reporters at Casa Milan ahead of the Rossoneri’s home game against Parma at San Siro, and his words were transcribed by MilanNews.

“We must continue to make points if we want to return to Europe. Tomorrow we face a difficult team, we must be well prepared from all points of view,” he said.

On this identity of his team: “We have built a way of being on the pitch and a precise mentality. We do not start from scratch tomorrow evening, we have our game philosophy and our mentality that has led us to obtain important results.

“We must continue like this. The next six games will tell us what team we are. It’s nice that managers appreciate our work. We have to go on like this.”

Milan have had a problem against the so-called ‘lesser teams’ so far this season, but Pioli doesn’t think it is a problem.

“It is played with the head more than with the body. If we played the Ferrara game 100 times, we will win it 99 times. We were unable to score goals despite the many chances we had, but tomorrow there must be a lot of concentration.”


What do Milan expect in the next matches from a physical point of view?

“We have a way of playing that requires great intensity. Tomorrow I will choose who has recovered well. Changing a few players does not mean changing our philosophy. Tomorrow both who starts and who will enter later will be important.”

On Ibrahimovic: “The injury took away some of his condition. Tomorrow morning I will decide who to start from the beginning. Ibra is a winner, he came out not happy because we were losing. It is true, he is very motivated”.

On Bonaventura: “Jack is a great player. He is doing well both entering the game and when starting. We have worked well in the past few weeks. We need a lot of effort between now and the end of the season and we need everyone. It will take spirit of sacrifice by all.”

What difficulties did the team have in Naples?

“It is more difficult to be a real team when things are hard than when they are easy. We have shown that we know how to suffer and get out of a complicated match because Napoli are a good team.”


On Theo Hernandez’s exploits this season, Pioli added: “His performance is constant. For his physique, he thrives in the current game style.

“In Naples he had a difficult opponent in Callejon, but he was very careful. He played a game that coaches really like. He scored, but he did good also in the defensive phase where he has improved a lot. He can become one of the best full backs in the world.”

When will Leao have a chance to start?

“He is growing a lot, he has incredible potential, but he can still grow a lot. I like his attitude. I have many solutions.

“He is an external striker or a second striker. The important thing is that you continue like this, we will see the real Leao next year. A young person arriving from abroad is normal to have to settle in.”

Gianluigi Donnarumma was criticised for some potential errors that he made against Napoli, but Pioli is far from worried.

“Gigio has great balance, he does not break down after criticism and is not carried away when things are going well. For me, he is not to blame for Napoli’s goals. His performance is very high. He is having great improvements.”
 
*AC Milan are evaluating the idea of a move for Espanyol midfielder Marc Roca ahead of the summer mercato, a report claims.*

Mundo Deportivo (via MilanNews) reported on Tuesday that Roca is one of a number of midfield targets that Milan have in view of the summer and with Espanyol relegated, they have decided that the Spaniard is among the prized pieces that they will be forced to sell.

After an initial survey a few weeks ago, Milan are now pressing hard to sign the 23-year-old as well as Arsenal, but he does have a €40m release clause.

According to Calciomercato.com, there have been contacts between Roca’s representatives and the current Milan management of Maldini and Massara.

The Spain U21 international can leave Espanyol for €25m, and what remains to be seen is whether Rangnick and Almstadt will decide to pursue a deal with the player’s agency Promoesport.
 
Haka Calhanoglu's game by numbers vs. Parma:

88% passing accuracy
80 touches
8 recoveries
6 crosses
5 chances created
4 shots attempted
2 assists
1 goal

Directly involved in all three of Milan's goals. 🔴⚫️
 
Franck Yannick Késsié vs Parma

• 90 touches
• 87% pass accuracy (71)
• 3 key passes
• 1 goal
• 2 interceptions
• 1 clearance
• 1 big chance created
• 💯 dribble success 1/1

#MilanParma
 
🎙️ Claudio Ranieri

"I like Milan a lot, they play well, they have quality, they are balanced, compact. They're a very good team, it's good to see them play." https://t.co/4ZigWI14DI
 
#Milan’s next 6 games: Parma (H), Bologna (H), Sassuolo (A), Atalanta (H), Sampdoria (A), Cagliari (H).

Napoli’s next 6 games: Bologna (A), Udinese (H), Parma (A), Sassuolo (H), Inter (A), Lazio (H).

Roma’s next 6 games: Hellas Verona (H), Inter (H), Spal (A), Fiorentina (A), Torino (A), Juventus (A).
 
In a crucial mid-week match, Milan came back from behind to win 3-1 thanks to goals from Franck Kessie, Alessio Romagnoli and Hakan Calhanoglu. Now, they are level with Napoli in the standings.

STARTING XI

Donnarumma (7): Had literally nothing to do until the 60th minute, despite conceding the goal. However, he showed his class when called upon producing some crucial saves on shots from Kulusevski.

Conti (5.5): Has been blowing hot and cold the entire time after the pandemic break. Inconsistent to say the least. Was turned by an opposition player and drawn into a desperate foul for a yellow card. Hauled off at half-time.

Kjaer (7): The same day he was made a permanent Milan player, Kjaer showed his quality once again. A crucial block on a Kulusevski shot and vital interceptions against Parma’s quick counters.

Romagnoli (6.5): Defesinvely susceptible. Got beaten by the pace of Gervinho a couple of time. Couldn’t close down Kurtic quickly enough but redeemed himself with the game’s second goal.



Hernandez (7): Continues to be an important player for Milan and a cult hero. Some good work on the left-wing with Hakan is what helped Kessie set free for his goal. Kept Kulusevski quiet for the majority of the game and contributed to the attack.

Biglia (5.5): Rusty as ever. Missed his man’s run and failed to prevent the low cross for Parma’s goal. Pressed high and found upfield players with good passes. However, he did not bring energy into the midfield like Bennacer.

Kessie (7.5): Milan’s new deep-lying playmaker. Pressed high up the field, spread the play, distributed the ball well and then scored a wondergoal after some intelligent off-the-ball movement.

Leao (6): His first start in a while was pretty disappointing on the right-hand side. The final ball was missing quite a lot. Better as an impact sub, perhaps.

Calhanoglu (8 – MOTM): Two assists and a goal. Hardly seemed to put a step wrong in the game. The finish was sublime as well. Finally, the Turk is showing some form from his Leverkusen days.



Bonaventura (7): Dynamic midfield player. Combined well with Ibra and movement was really good. Lacked the finishing touch but provided the assist to Hakan.

Ibrahimovic (6.5): Far from the player Milan are used to seeing. Wasted a few chances from promising situations. Could be heard screaming and pointing at teammates, but his anger sometimes took over.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Calabria (6.5): Put in a good shift. Made some good driving runs on the rightwing and contributed to the attack when Parma sat back to defend their lead.

Rebic (6): Came on for Leao. Was a nuisance for defenders but lacked the final touch.

Laxalt (5.5): Came on for Theo but was again very rusty. Had trouble containing Parma’s late surge but by then the game had fizzed out.

Bennacer (6.5): Came on and brought in energy sorely missed by Milan in the first half. It was the foul he won that contributed to the second goal.

Krunic (5.5): Came on for Calhanoglu but the game was already decided.

READ MORE – AC Milan 3-1 Parma: Confident Rossoneri come back from behind to continue positive run

TAGS AC MILAN PARMA SERIE A

AROUND THE WEB
 
AC Milan agree terms with €20m rated defender | AC Milan News
Wesley Fofana
AC Milan have agreed personal terms with 20 million rated French centre back Wesley Fofana who is one of the emerging talents in Ligue 1.
AC Milan are paying special attention to France looking for new talents. After Pierre Kalulu, who arrived on a free transfer from Lyon, now the Rossoneri are concentrated on Wesley Fofana, the central defender of Saint-Etienne and one of the emerging prospects in Ligue 1.

According to Le10Sport, AC Milan has already presented an official offer of 14 million euros while another source claims that the figure was nearly 18 million. Despite the exact figure, the French club have refused the offer.

Nevertheless, Saint-Etienne are open to negotiate. The Ligue 1 club need money because of financial problems but the Devil’s first proposal was deemed low. Now the Rossoneri’s management is considering whether to make an improved offer.

AC Milan are likely to make a new attempt because, according to reports from France, Saint-Etienne are willing at accept a figure of 20 million euros for their gem.

The good news is that AC Milan and Wesley Fofana have already agreed personal terms. The 19-year-old French centre back has accepted a transfer to Italy. Fofana is a transfer target of Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara and it’s not yet clear what’s the opinion of Ralf Rangnick on his purchase.
 
*Kessie: 'Milan are a great team'*

19 mins ago / autty
Milan midfielder Franck Kessie has been on fire in recent weeks but claims the Rossoneri shouldn’t be surprised of beating other great teams.


The Ivorian has been one of the protagonists at San Siro since the resumption and he claims the hard work during the lockdown has payed off.

“During the break we continued to work hard. We did what the coach told us to,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “We followed the physical work that the coach gave us and we can see the results.

“We won against great teams because Milan are a great team. We must try to remain focused and continue this positive moment until the end.”

Kessie insists that the Diavolo must only focus on their own performances and not look at Roma, who are currently fifth in Serie A.

“Everything is possible. We must always give our best, we must score points in all our games and not think of Roma.

“Everyone is committed, both the ones who plays and the ones on the bench, who enter with great determination.”

Kessie has clicked with Hakan Calhanoglu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but says the whole group are working well together.

“I get on well with the whole team, I laugh and joke with everyone,” he added. “I’m very happy for Hakan, he’s returning to the level we saw in Germany.

“Ibrahimovic is a great champion and has brought a lot of experience to the team. When you are close to him, he can help you.”

The former Atalanta midfielder has quashed reports regarding a possible move away from San Siro.

“The journalists said that I could leave, but neither I nor the club wanted this. I will stay here until the end of my contract, I’m happy here.”

The 23-year-old has explained that his relationship with coach Stefano Pioli has developed with time.

“When a coach arrives, you must understand what the relationship between you might be,” Kessie said. “At the beginning it was a bit more complicated but now the relationship is positive.

“He explained to me what I have to do on the pitch, also because with [former coach Gennaro] Gattuso, I had other requests.

“I needed some time to understand what the coach wanted.”

Kessie has scored in three consecutive games and claimed the goal against Parma on Wednesday was his best so far.

“Yesterday, I scored the best goal in my career so far. Now I have to do even more. I have grown a lot and I spent a lot of time here.

“It’s normal that I become a serious player and must lead by example.”

The Ivory Coast international revealed that the Rossoneri are aiming for a place in the Champions League as soon as possible.

“We want to take Milan back to the Champions League, at the highest level,” he said. “That’s where Milan deserve to be. The whole team want it.

“Now, we must continue and take this positive period into next year.”
 
Paolo Maldini on Kessie: “He has become a complete player, with a great evolution, the fact of playing too helped him, he surprised me very much."
“I am very proud, I see 90% of the training sessions, I knew that this team was destined to blossom, the lockdown allowed Pioli to make a mini preparation that he didn’t get before.”
 
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