Tag: AC Milan

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Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain to battle for Theo Hernandez

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly identified AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez as a future transfer target.

The two European giants are regarded among the favourites for this season’s Champions League after a productive summer window.

However, the left-hand side of defence has sometimes been an issue for both clubs, something which PSG have attempted to rectify with the addition of Sporting Lisbon’s Nuno Mendes.

According to Calciomercato, that signing may not stop PSG joining Man City in the race to sign Hernandez in 2022 or 2023.

The Frenchman has enjoyed a hugely impressive two years at San Siro, contributing 13 goals from 67 starts in Serie A.

Despite Hernandez possessing a contract until 2024, Milan may be tempted into a sale if they can make a significant profit on the €20m (£17.18m) which they shelled out in 2019.

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Olivier Giroud scores 2 as AC Milan routs Cagliari

It was a second win in as many games for Milan, which is still without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The veteran forward remains out after injuring his knee in May and needing surgery.

Olivier Giroud scored his first two league goals for AC Milan as the Rossoneri beat Cagliari 4-1 in Serie A.

All the goals came in the first half with Giroud scoring Milan’s last two after early strikes from Sandro Tonali and

Rafael Leao. Alessandro Deiola briefly made it 1-1 for Cagliari on Sunday.

It was a second win in as many games for Milan, which is still without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The veteran forward remains out after injuring his knee in May and needing surgery.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma also scored four goals as it won 4-0 at newly promoted Salernitana.

In Milan, the home side opened the scoring when Tonali curled a free kick into the top near corner in the 12th minute.

It was also his first goal for Milan and only a second in Serie A for the former Brescia midfielder.

Cagliari leveled three minutes later as Deiola headed in a delightful lofted pass from Joao Pedro but Milan restored its lead almost immediately when Leao’s effort was deflected in.

Giroud joined Milan from Chelsea in the offseason and the 34-year-old scored his first goal in the 24th. Brahim Diaz raced forward from the center of midfield and sent a ball through to Giroud, who fired it into the far side of the net.

Giroud also converted a penalty two minutes from halftime after Cagliari midfielder Kevin Strootmann handled the ball just inside the penalty area.

ROMA ROUT

Salernitana had narrowly lost its first match back in the top flight for more than 20 years as it was defeated 3-2 by Bologna last week.

It was a lot more humiliating in its first home match following a second-half capitulation.

Lorenzo Pellegrini broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half and also scored Roma’s fourth.

New forward Tammy Abraham opened his Roma account in the 69th following a goal from Jordan Veretout.

The 23-year-old Abraham is enjoying a fantastic start to life in Serie A after setting up both his side’s goals and hitting the crossbar in a 3-1 win over Fiorentina last week.

Abraham recently joined Roma from Chelsea for 40 million euros ($47 million).

PERFECT RECORD

Substitute Andrea Petagna scored two minutes after coming off the bench as Napoli also made it two wins out of two with a 2-1 victory at Genoa.

Petagna’s goal came with six minutes remaining after Genoa midfielder Andrea Cambiaso had canceled out Fabian Ruiz’s opener.

Sassuolo drew 0-0 with Sampdoria.

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AC Milan target £45m swoop for Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva

AC Milan have reportedly made Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva a key transfer target and hope to sign him in a deal worth £45m.

The Portuguese international is not guaranteed gametime at the Etihad Stadium following the arrival of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, and had hoped to join Atletico Madrid but the Spanish side could not meet Man City’s asking price.

The Premier League champions have offered Silva to both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, to the latter as part of a deal for Harry Kane, but he does not wish to stay in England.

Now, the Daily Star claim that AC Milan are ready to offer a £45m package for the 27-year-old – £15m to take him on loan for two years, and then £30m to make the move permanent.

The report states that City would be interested in the deal as it would allow them to recoup the £43m they paid for Silva in 2017.

Since his arrival in Manchester, Silva has made 203 appearances and scored 35 goals, winning three Premier League titles

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ITALY GOALKEEPER GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA SIGNS FIVE YEAR DEAL AT PSG

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has signed for Paris St Germain on a five-year deal.

The 22-year-old joins PSG after reaching the end of his contract with AC Milan, with whom he had been since 2013.

Donnarumma was handed his Milan debut aged 16 in 2015 and ended up making over 200 Serie A appearances for them.

Confirmation of his move to PSG comes three days on from Donnarumma, holder of 33 senior caps, helping Italy win Euro 2020 and being named player of the tournament.

His efforts included keeping three clean sheets and saving one penalty in the shootout in the semi-finals against Spain and then two more in the one that settled Sunday’s final as the Azzurri got the better of England at Wembley.

Donnarumma said in quotes on PSG’s official website: “I am very happy to be part of this great club that is Paris St Germain.

“I feel ready to take on this new challenge, and continue to grow here. With Paris, I want to win as much as possible and give joy to the supporters.”

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “We are pleased to welcome Gianluigi Donnarumma to Paris St Germain.

“We congratulate him on his victory at Euro 2020, and his title as the best player of the competition.

“I know Gianluigi will receive a warm welcome from everyone at the club, including his teammates, our staff and all the Parisian support.”

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OLIVIER GIROUD CLOSE TO €2 MILLION MILAN MOVE

AC Milan are closing in on a deal to sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud for €2 million, sources have reported.

Chelsea triggered an option last month to extend his contract by a further 12 months but the 36-year-old wants more regular game-time and is keen on a move to Italy.

Giroud fell down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge last season following the arrival of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig with Kai Havertz also preferred at times as a false nine by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

The club are in the market to sign a forward this summer and are expected to try and prise Erling Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund. They are also keeping tabs on Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham Hotspur among other possible targets.

Chelsea are willing to part with Giroud, who moved across London from Arsenal in January 2018 and has scored 39 goals in 119 appearances.

Since joining Chelsea, the France international has won an FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

Giroud was a World Cup winner with in 2018 and part of the side which was knocked out of Euro 2020 at the round-of-16 stage by Switzerland on penalties.

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AC MILAN SIGN FIKAYO TOMORI ON PERMANENT DEAL

AC Milan have taken up their option to sign defender Fikayo Tomori from Chelsea permanently on a four-year contract, the club announced on Thursday.

Tomori joined the Rossoneri on an initial loan with the option to sign in January and he made his debut in a fiery Coppa Italia clash with derby rivals Inter Milan, which saw Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic red carded.

“AC Milan is delighted to announce the exercising of the option for the permanent transfer of Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Tomori from Chelsea,” a club statement read. “The English defender, who made 22 appearances and scored one goal over the last season, will continue to play with the Club until 30 June 2025.”

Having made just one Premier League appearance for Chelsea in the first half of the campaign, Tomori established himself as a mainstay in the Milan backline as he played 17 times in Serie A, with Stefano Pioli’s side returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2014.

Tomori also played in both legs of the Europa League round-of-32 clash with Red Star Belgrade and the round-of-16 defeat to Manchester United.

The highlight for the 23-year-old was his standout performance in Milan’s stunning 3-0 victory away to Juventus, where he scored a towering header for the game’s third goal and his first for the club.

Milan was the fourth loan of Tomori’s career, having made his Premier League debut for Chelsea in 2016.

He spent time at Brighton & Hove Albion, Hull City and Derby County before establishing himself as Chelsea first-team player in the 2019-20 season, where he made 22 appearances in all competitions. Tomori also made his England debut in 2019.

Despite leading the Serie A table for much of the campaign, Milan finished the season in second place, but secured Champions League qualification on the final day.

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GIANLUNGI DONNARUMMA NEARS MOVE TO PSG

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly close to completing the free signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Donnarumma’s eight-year spell with AC Milan will come to an end this summer after the highly-rated goalkeeper failed to agree new terms with the Italian club.

And now the 22-year-old is due to join PSG as a free agent, with the Parisian side beating the likes of Chelsea, Juventus and Manchester United to his signature.

According Sky Sports, PSG have offered Donnarumma a five-year deal worth £10million (€12m) a year plus add-ons, which will see him become the French club’s new No 1.

The report goes on to claim that Donnarumma could undergo his medical while he’s away on national team duty with Italy for Euro 2020, with any medicals to be conducted at their Coverciano training base before the tournament kicks off.

Juventus abandoned talks to sign the goalkeeper after being put off by the player’s mammoth wage demands, and were unwilling to go above £8m (€10m) per season.

Jose Mourinho was also hoping to tempt Donnarumma to his new club Roma, with the Special One said to have personally contacted the Italy international about a joining him in the capital.

However, Donnarumma looks set for France with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi spearheading the move to bring him to the Parc des Princes, despite the fact that Keylor Navas recently renewed his contract with the club.

Milan have already secure Donnarumma’s replacement, with Lille’s Mike Maignan completing his move at the end of May just days after helping the French club wrap up an unlikely Ligue 1 title.

Speaking about Donnarumma’s departure last month, Maldini said: ‘Gigio was a leader and often the captain. People sometimes don’t realise what it means to be a professional, it means you must be ready to change club.

‘It’s difficult to accept, I realise, but it’s also increasingly difficult to see a career in one team. We must respect those who gave so much to Milan and remember Donnarumma did not lack respect for us.

‘It can happen that at times you have to take different paths. I can only wish him the best.’

Having arrived in 2013, the Italy international made his first-team debut in 2015, aged just 16, and went on to make 251 appearances for them across all competitions.

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AC MILAN SNAP UP FRANCE INTERNATIONAL TO REPLACE DEPARTING DONNARUMMA

GOALKEEPER Mike Maignan has signed a five-year contract with AC Milan, the Serie A club have announced.

The 25-year-old, who is the third-choice goalkeeper for the French national team, will have the tough task of succeeding Italian first-choice Gianluigi Donnarumma, whose departure was made official yesterday.

Maignan helped Lille win the French league title on Sunday while AC Milan finished second in Serie A, 12 points behind their neighbours Inter. He will officially join AC Milan when the Italian transfer window opens in July.

Italian media reported that Milan will pay Lille €15million. Lille confirmed “the total agreement reached with AC Milan for the transfer of Mike Maignan”.

They called him ‘the Magic Eagle’ and said “he will leave an indelible mark on history with a championship title that no one will forget”.

They pointed out he had kept a clean sheet at the San Siro when Lille won 3-0 away to AC Milan in a Europa League group match in November.

Maignan, who was born in Cayenne in French Guyana, has one France cap and has been selected for the Euros.

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SERIE A: AC MILAN KNOCK JUVE OUT OF TOP FOUR

AC Milan pushed Juventus out of the Serie A top four with a 3-0 win in Turin on Sunday, increasing their hopes of Champions League football for the first time since 2014.

Brahim Diaz put Milan ahead just before the break with Anton RebicF and Fikayo Tomori adding two more in the second half after Franck Kessie had missed a penalty.

Milan move up to third, equal on 72 points with second-placed Atalanta, with Napoli a further two points behind in fourth and the final Champions League berth.

Juventus are now fifth, one point behind the top four with three games left to play, including next weekend’s clash with newly-crowned champions Inter Milan.

“We had a great game, a victory over a direct rival at this moment in the championship is very important,” said AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli whose side lost 3-1 to Juve in the San Siro in January.

“We still have to fight. But I have a very young team. That is maturing as this evening proved.”

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ZLATAN BEING INVESTIGATED BY UEFA OVER ALLEGED STAKE IN BETTING COMPANY

UEFA has launched a disciplinary investigation into Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s alleged part-ownership of a betting company.

European football’s governing body has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to establish whether Ibrahimovic has violated any of its betting regulations.

The Sweden and AC Milan striker, 39, reportedly owns a 10 per cent stake in Bethard, a Malta-based gambling website, through his company Unknown AB.

A UEFA statement read: “In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR), a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has today been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations by Mr. Zlatan Ibrahimovic for having an alleged financial interest in a betting company.

“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”

UEFA and FIFA rules do not allow players to participate in any of its competitions if they have financial interests in gambling companies.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported earlier this month that Ibrahimovic retains his financial interest in Bethard after becoming a part-owner in 2018.

According to FIFA regulations the former Manchester United forward could be suspended from football for up to three years and fined up to £86,000. UEFA’s possible sanctions are less clear.

Aftonbladet claimed Ibrahimovic breached FIFA rules when stepping out of international retirement to play for Sweden in World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Kosovo in March this year.

He is also alleged to have breached UEFA rules when featuring for AC Milan in their Europa League tie against Shamrock Rovers in September last year.

Ibrahimovic signed a new one-year contract with AC Milan last week that will keep him at the Italian club beyond his 40th birthday.

He is in his second spell at Milan – his former clubs include Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Manchester United and LA Galaxy – and has scored 17 goals in 27 appearances for the Serie A giants in all competitions this season