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📰Gazzetta: Freiburg had offered €8M to Milan for Krunic but he probably will not leave. Pioli intends to count on him. https://t.co/j0DEyldXkx

Milan have revived their interest in Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer. Meeting will take place next week to discuss a possible deal. His price tag is €15M. Milan would like to take him on loan with option to buy that would become obligation Il Milan torna su Ajer del Celtic: incontro settimana prossima

📰Gazzetta: For Milenkovic's value, Milan is thinking about €20M while Fiorentina's pricetag is over €30M. There is a gap between both clubs.
As for Chiesa, there are, currently, no negotiations but he remains an option until the last days of mercato. https://t.co/I3sEgoGUJu

🎙️Lippi spoke to GdS:"Pioli's Milan promises well. Against Shamrock Rovers, they proved to be more or less of where they left off: the spectacular season's ending, the beautiful and winning football, with many solutions. Remembering it was only the debut, I saw good movements." https://t.co/J7VwFARpUD

Valencia propose swap deal for Paqueta
Posted on September 19, 2020 by Rossonero


After the interest of Lyon, Valencia has emerged as another possible destination for AC Milan midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
At the moment, AC Milan’s mercato is a bit in stand-by due to the absence of player sales. Inevitable, as there are players who are not part of Stefano Pioli’s plans and must be sold.

The Rossoneri management must first sale, so it cannot afford risky moves. The most important player to leave Milanello is going to be Lucas Paqueta, from whose farewell Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara expect to collect 22-23 million euros. Important money to reinvest in new signings, probably on a central defender.

Among the most interested clubs in the former Flamengo is Lyon with sporting director Juninho Pernambucano confident he can relaunch Paqueta’s career after a difficult season and a half with Milan. But Lyon must sell before they can make an offer to the Rossoneri club.

Another club interested in Paqueta is Valencia. La Gazzetta dello Sport reveals that the Spaniards have proposed a swap deal with Geoffrey Kondogbia. However, this is not a solution that Milan favor.

AC Milan want and need to sell the Brazilian in order to fund moves for other transfer targets. Valencia are reportedly considering a new bid without Kondogbia or other players included as technical counterpart

The centre-back search may be over for Milan, following weeks of many rumours. The Rossoneri have identified Kristoffer Ajer as the right man for the defence and a deal seems possible, a report claims.

According to Calciomercato.com, Celtic are willing to let the Norweigan leave on a paid loan with an option to buy. They have slapped a price tag of around €15m on the player, which is a figure that Milan consider reasonable.


Next week, probably as early as Monday, there will be a summit between SEG agency and the Rossoneri management to discuss the future of Ajer. The goal, of course, is to reach an agreement on the formula and the figures of the operation.

Meanwhile, the defender is waiting and hoping: Milan has always been his first choice and now the transfer could materialize. New updates should emerge after the meeting, but it’s clear that Ajer is a concrete goal for the San Siro side.

One creates, and the other scores. And vice versa. Stefano Pioli has an important duo in his system, acting in the attacking phase, formed by Hakan Calhanoglu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The two have picked up where the left off.

As highlighted by Tuttosport (via MilanNews.it), the victory in Dublin bears their signature. Ibrahimovic scored in the first half – assisted by the No.10 – and Calhanoglu secured the deal in the second half.


Since Stefano Pioli launched the 4-2-3-1, Milan have certainly changed their looks also thanks to the chemistry established between the Swede and the Turk. The ‘CalhIbra’, as the newspaper brands the duo, is one of the secrets of the team.

Calhanoglu acts between the lines and invents the game, while Ibrahimovic takes advantage and 9/10 finishes the chances. The 38-year-old also helps control the play in the attacking phase, not afraid to drop down a bit to combine.

Ibrahimovic helped Calhanoglu a lot to bring out qualities that, in recent years, we had only seen glimpses of. Furthermore, playing as a pure attacking midfielder, in his natural and preferred role, allowed the Turk to express himself at his best.

The two certainly know where to find each other on the pitch, as showcased so many times in 2020, and Pioli is enjoying their importance.

Milik to Roma is on hold as they’re still discussing the salary, with about €1m being the difference between the two parties & negotiations are on stand-by. This is keeping Dzeko to Juve on hold as Roma want to be certain they have their replacement 🇵🇱🇧🇦

📰 via Di Marzio

187 penalties were awarded in Serie A last season with 57 being from hand balls. Rizzoli says there’ll be less penalties like as the ruling will be relaxed.

“We will no longer see goals disallowed like Ibrahimovic’s in Florence.” - Rizzoli 🗣

📰 via Gazzetta - h/t Around Turin

🎙️Costacurta predicts milan would finish 6th and had this to say during Sky Calcio Show:"I could have put Milan fifth, but not among the top four because there are better equipped teams like Napoli. In my opinion, at least four are stronger than Milan."

What do you think? https://t.co/ODFE5DmCRd

Football Italia

Miha warns Bologna: 'I want the right attitude'
Football Italia2 Hours Ago

Comments
Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic wants response to the 5-1 defeat to Milan in July and warns his players. ‘If we lack courage and the right attitude, we can lose to anyone’.

The Rossoblu tactician prepares his men to face Stefano Pioli’s Rossoneri tomorrow and starts the 2020-21 season with a tough away game at San Siro.

But the Serbian coach wants a completely ‘different story’ this time around and hopes his men will ‘fight’ until the final whistle.

“Tomorrow we start a long journey, where we hope to have few curves and few stops,” Mihajlovic said at a press conference.

“The first goal is to grow in all senses. What I hope will not happen again, is to lose without a fight.

“If it happens this year, it will be a mess. I want to see the right attitude, going everywhere trying to play our game.

“If we play as we know, we can beat anyone. If we lack courage and the right attitude, we can lose to anyone.

“Tomorrow, I want a different story compared to last match.”

Mihajlovic has admitted it will be difficult for Bologna to qualify for Europe this term but wants to help the youngsters at his disposal develop.

“Since we don’t have the possibility to spend and invest a lot of money, we have decided to create a young team and help the players grow,” Mihajlovic added.

“It will be difficult to arrive in Europe, but we have the motivation to develop the team and give the youngsters value, in order to distinguish ourselves from the others.

“Having a young team is inspiring for me as a coach. In the team, we have many young players and some veterans, the right mix.”

Riccardo Orsolini admitted he struggled post-COVID, but Mihajlovic said the forward risks losing his place in the team if he doesn’t deliver.

“I have already talked to Orsolini in private, if he doesn’t wake up, he ends up in the stands,” Mihajlovic said.

“As for the team, I saw that everyone is training well, even the youngest have gained more confidence and initiative.

“Let’s see tomorrow, but I’m confident because I have seen a good retreat and a good pre-season.

“The more experienced give a lot of advice to the youngsters and the latter have acquired greater self-esteem."

Naona Pirlo jana kapanga kikosi vizuri sana. Jamaa fundi uwanjani hadi kupanga kikosi.

Milan have made an offer to Lyon for Memphis Depay, a report claims, as the Rossoneri are keen on acquiring the forward.

It was reported by Gianluca Di Marzio (via MilanNews) last week that Lyon could propose Memphis Depay to Milan in the Paquetá operation.

SportMediaset (via MilanLive) on Friday then confirmed this rumour, stating that Depay would love to play with his idol Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Spanish outlet TodoFichajes writes that Milan have proposed a straight swap deal which would see Depay join Milan and Paqueta join Lyon, however the Ligue 1 club refused as they believe the Dutchman has a higher market value.

Lyon would like the Rossoneri to insert a cash sum before giving the green light to the operation. Milan, however, are not willing to improve their offer.

In the background there is always Barcelona, where new manager Ronald Koeman asked the management to sign his compatriot.

Barcelona is the player’s favoured destination, but he also evaluates other opportunities for his future. Should Barça not accelerate soon, the former Manchester United will look elsewhere to further his career.

Milan’s transfer market status:

- Fofana and Ajer are the alternatives for Milenkovic in defense.
- Anguissa is the alternative for the midfield.
- Official bid from Lyon for Paqueta is awaited
- Interest in Bakayoko still alive. New attempt expected after EL playoffs

📊 Some stats before #MilanBologna...

➤ Milan have lost their last two season openers, but have never done it three years in a row.

➤ Milan have won 8 of their last 9 matches against Bologna.

➤ Milan have scored at least 2 goals in 11 of their last 12 league games.

🔴⚫ https://t.co/nIqPp4eb9u

To begin the 2020-21 Serie A season Milan take on Bologna, a team they defeated 5-1 in July, but in football nothing can be taken for granted.

Despite going unbeaten post-lockdown and having a record of nine wins from 12 games, Milan finished 6th in the table and 12 points off the target of UEFA Champions league qualification.

A bad start under Marco Giampaolo and an unkind fixture list for Pioli meant Milan had a very poor beginning to the campaign. This means Milan must target a flying start to 2020-21, so playing catch-up once again is avoided.


A S.W.O.T analysis is a tool used by multinational corporations as a strategic planning technique to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

In this article, we preview the season using that method to objectively assess where Milan are currently at and where they can improve…

Weaknesses

Milan’s main weakness in attack is on the right side. Samu Castillejo and Saelemaekers contributed only four goals and seven assists last season, which is less than the numbers other productive right wingers have been able to make, hence the possible pursuit of Chiesa.

There seems to be quite a few gaps between the second line and last line of defence. Any team with good technical players and fast wingers can exploit these spaces and put in quick crosses. A player like Bakayoko could help neutralise this weakness.

Milan lack depth at centre-back. Duarte has shown he is not up to the standards of European football while Gabbia seemed shaky against Shamrock. The pursuit of Milenkovic or Ajer is a real priority for Milan.

Opportunities
The two big title contenders have not pulled off any big moves as anticipated in the market, with Juventus even going through a mini-transition appointing Pirlo as their coach while Inter lost two transfers targets after they had agreed personal terms.

If Milan recruit sensibly and ease the signings in, they could upset the duopoly.

Lazio and Roma too have not made the big moves in the market due to financial constraints brought around by COVID-19. Lazio brought in Muriqi and Fares while Roma brought in Kumbulla and Pedro, but Milik could also arrive.

Milan’s Europa League run would depend on the teams that they are drawn with in the competition. If teams with less technical ability drop from the Champions League to the EL knockouts, then Milan can make a deep run and boost their revenue.

Bayern Munich have confirmed that they have signed AC Milan Primavera defender Lenny Borges on loan for the 2020-21 season.

The 19-year-old German right-back will play for the second team of the Bavarian side, who are currently competing in the 3. Liga, the third tier of football in Germany.

Borges joined Milan in 2019 from Hamburg, where he came through the academy, and while he often featured in the squad for Federico Giunti’s Primavera side, he did not make many appearances due to injured problems.


The teenager’s contract expires in June 2021, so the Bayern Munich loan is the prelude to his final farewell.

Ralf Rangnick has said Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in ‘great shape’ at 38 but continued to claim the signing ‘was a contradiction in itself’.

The Rossoneri approached Rangnick earlier this year but the former RB Leipzig coach’s move fell through after internal disagreements at the club.

Rangnick, who seemed poised to take over at San Siro, felt the club did not share his vision when they signed veteran Ibrahimovic, who left LA Galaxy in January.


“It’s not about me not liking Ibrahimovic,” Rangnick told Financial Times. “Why shouldn’t I?

“At the age of 38, he’s still in fantastic shape. He can still be decisive for winning games.

“But the question is, which pathway do you want to go? What is Milan?... For me, the signing of Ibrahimovic at the time was a contradiction in itself…

“Because of the way that [the owners said] they wanted to go.”