Dumfries to Premier League?
Inter are experiencing a magical moment - the victory in the Italian Super Cup a few weeks ago, now success in their big Serie A match against Juventus which allows the Nerazzurri to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Also on the transfer side, with the renewals last December of Matteo Darmian, Fede Dimarco and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Inter are giving continuity to a squad that last year reached the Champions League final.
Now all that's missing is the icing on the cake - with the renewal of Lautaro Martinez, whose negotiations are ongoing - to complete the plans. The one who, however, will almost certainly leave the Nerazzurri at the end of the season is Denzel Dumfries - whose contract expires in 2025 - is asking for at least five million as a new salary, while Inter are not willing to go beyond 3.5 million per season, one million more than he receives now.
It's no coincidence that Inter have already purchased Taj Buchanan in this January transfer market, the natural replacement for Dumfries. There is no shortage of admirers for the Dutch winger, including Manchester United. His compatriot Erik ten Hag appreciates him a lot and has asked the club's leadership for him, together with two other Dutch players, Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich) and Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna).
Juventus working hard on Felipe Anderson
Juventus made two important signings during the winter transfer market - Tiago Djalo and Carlos Alcaraz. Two young players, with great prospects: the first, from Lille, wants to relaunch his career after a difficult period in France and an injury that kept him away from the pitch for a long time; the second arrives on loan from Southampton with a very high option-to-buy clause, set at almost 50 million euros.
However, the Bianconeri will not stop there and are already planning for the summer transfer window. Technical director Cristiano Giuntoli's main target is Felipe Anderson. The Lazio player - a free agent in June - received a renewal offer from the Biancocelesti until 2027 last autumn.
However, the Brazilian is in no hurry to make a decision, as he has been approached by Spanish clubs as well as Juve. Without a doubt the Bianconeri are leading the race and are very confident of beating the other teams interested in him.
Juventus already have a draft contract ready: three years, until 2027, with a salary set at around 3.5/4 million per season. Contact with Felipe Anderson will continue in the coming weeks.
Orlando City serious about Luis Muriel
While the market in Europe is almost closed - with the exception of Turkey which will remain open for a few more days - now business can be done overseas, especially in Argentina, Brazil and above all in the USA where the market will be open until April 23rd.
Here there is a club, Orlando City, particularly interested in strengthening their squad by purchasing players from Europe. Recently, the MLS team approached Atalanta about Luis Muriel, which is open to discussing the future of the Colombian player, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
The return of Ademola Lookman from the Africa Cup of Nations expected at the latest next week and the recovery of El Bilal Toure would give Gian Piero Gasperini some valid alternatives in attack, in case of Muriel's farewell. Although Atalanta spoke with Muriel about a possible renewal in recent weeks, the MLS opportunity and the strong interest from Orlando are pushing him to accept.
Orlando would like to close everything in the next few days and are planning a last attempt for Muriel: let's keep an eye on this deal which could close very soon.
Chalobah's stock rises
Trevoh Chalobah, as expected, remained at Chelsea for the rest of the season. After being linked to numerous clubs in Europe, no one wanted to make concrete steps for him. In particular, the teams that approached the Chelsea player with interest during the month of January were Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Atletico Madrid, but in the end nothing materialised.
Despite the rumours in the final hours of the transfer market, AC Milan never had the intention of making a last-minute attempt for him: the Rossoneri considered the winter transfer window closed and there was no need to include a player just to make up the numbers.
In the end, Chalobah will remain at Chelsea until - at least - the end of the season: a condition that still makes the player happy. Chalobah, in fact, wants to take advantage of this opportunity to recover the right physical condition after the long injury and return to lend a hand to the team until the end of the season.
Then, anything can happen in the summer: the English centre-back, whose contract expires in 2028, has not yet decided what his future will be, also because there are no advanced negotiations with any club even for the next season. Everything will be evaluated little by little, day by day.
Besiktas eager to part ways with Rebic
Ante Rebic arrived in Turkey a few months ago and Besiktas - his current club - would already like to part ways with him. The Croatian striker - to date - has played only 377 minutes in 14 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig, collecting three assists, but not yet scoring a goal. His performances far below expectations and for this reason Besiktas are seriously evaluating the opportunity to terminate early the contract of Rebic.
At the moment the Croatian player has no intention of leaving the club, with which he has a contract until 2025. And so, a stalemate situation has been created, in which Ante wants to honour the agreement, at least until the summer and demonstrate his value, while Besiktas would like to make room in the squad for a player more useful to Fernando Santos.
The club's new coach doesn't see Rebic in his ideal starting XI giving responsibility for these choices to a lack of intensity from the Croatian player during training. It is no coincidence that the previous coach Burak Ylmaz had also removed the striker from a training session - last October - due to his undisciplined behaviour.
Will the former AC Milan player be able to make himself appreciated in this second part of the season? Only time will tell.
