One of Serie A’s most famous faces is on the move this summer as Paulo Dybala’s seven-year stay at Juventus is set to come to an end..
The striker is on his way out of Turin and looked like he was on the way to Inter Milan, but this week AC Milan have emerged at the front of the race to sign the Argentine star. I Rossoneri are reported to have made an new offer to Dybala as Inter’s progress has stalled and Milan director Paulo Maldini is a big fan of the Juve man.
The free agent is looking for a big payout and Inter offered him a €6-M contract which Dybala is yet to accept. And in recent days, Milan have made a counter offer.
But there is a long way to go as Dybala’s agent is working hard to get the best deal for his man, also offering him to Roma.
Meanwhile, in Spain, Real Madrid are reported to be weighing up a move for the Argentine as they look to strengthen their forward line after missing out on PSG star Kylian Mbappe.
Champions Milan have a tough start to the 2022/23 campaign and they will be keen to get this deal done. At 28 years of age, Dybala would be the ideal man to bring fresh legs to I Rossoneri’s front line which includes the 35-year-old Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, now 40.
Milan are also in pursuit of Chelsea wide-man Hakim Ziyech after it became clear that the Moroccan’s chances at Stamford Bridge have become limited under Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea have a good supply of attacking midfielders and are also looking to sign Manchester City star Raheem Sterling during the summer transfer window.
Milan are looking at a loan deal with an option to buy, and if they can get near to Ziyech’s €6.5-M salary at Chelsea, then this move could happen soon.
The pre-season Serie A 2022 betting odds predict a tough task for Milan who are in search of a second successive Scudetto, but the services of Ziyech and Dybala would do I Rossoneri no harm at all.
Serie A defenders on Chelsea shortlist
The return of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan was greeted by near hysteria when supporters met him as he arrived to complete his medical on Wednesday. A sea of cheering and flag-waving fans was there to let the Belgian star how much the club missed him last year.
And now that Chelsea have done Inter a big favour, they may be looking for one in return.
The €8-M loan deal agreed for the Lukaku move has put the Blues in pole position to sign Nerazzurri centre-back Milan Skriniar as Tuchel looks to replace his departed defenders Anton Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Paris Saint-Germain are said to be interested in the Slovakian, but negotiators at Chelsea hope that Inter will smooth the path for them.
In the meantime, the London club has added Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly to its wanted list. The 31-year-old Senegal star is ready-made for the Premier League as a ball-playing centre-back who is tough and uncompromising – just the type Chelsea fans have become used to.
The third Serie A defender in Chelsea’s sights is Juventus’ unsettled central defender Matthijs de Ligt. The Dutchman’s talks with the Old Lady have broken down and Chelsea are monitoring the situation closely. If Juventus lose De Ligt, they might well turn their attention to Koulibaly.
Play-off could decide the 2023 Scudetto
In other Serie A 2022 news, there is a change in how the 2022/23 Scudetto could be decided as the Italian Soccer Federation has announced that the title will be decided by a play-off if the top two teams finish with the same number of points.
Serie A clubs have approved the change which could have resulted in a play-off between the two Milan clubs last term had I Rossoneri failed to beat Sassuolo on the final day of the campaign.
Previously, the head-to-head record was used as the decider if the points were level. In the event, Milan would have won the title had they drawn with Sassuolo as they had won the season’s head-to-head against Inter Milan, but next season things could be different.
Head-to-heads will still be the decider anywhere else in the table, but the Scudetto might be decided by a play-off with no extra time and the ultimately nail-biting penalty shootout if the scores are level after 90 minutes.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
