European football leagues (La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, etc.) 2020-21 Discussion Thread

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Bayern Munich keen on Atletico Madrid midfielder

Bayern Munich are close to signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez for €80 million, according to Radio Marca.

Despite making 33 La Liga appearances last season, Saul was not a regular starter as Atletico won the Spanish title and they are open to listening to offers this summer.

Diego Simeone is interested in recruiting Udinese captain Rodrigo de Paul which could make the club more inclined to sanction Saul’s sale.

Bayern are in the process of reshaping their squad despite romping to a ninth successive Bundesliga title last season.

They were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and will be keen to reclaim the trophy they won in 2020.

If Saul moves to Bayern, he would be an unusual signing as they are noted for targeting players in their early 20s.

However, he has the ability to win matches and is one of the craftiest midfielders in Europe when in form.

He would significantly strengthen Bayern’s squad if they can secure his services.

Bayern may have to compete with Manchester United in the race to sign Niguez, with the player believed to favour a move to the Premier League.

https://onefootball.com/en/news/bayern-munich-keen-on-atletico-madrid-midfielder-33131526

 

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AC Milan are looking to sign Brahim Diaz and Fikayo Tomori from Real Madrid and Chelsea

AC Milan are currently working on a proposal to sign Brahim Diaz on loan with an option to buy him permanently, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan with Milan and impressed as he made 27 Serie A appearances.

He scored four goals and helped the club finish second to qualify for the 2021/22 Champions League.

Although highly rated since he was a teenager, the Spain U-21 international’s career only really started to take off once he joined the Rossoneri.

After starting his senior career in 2016 with Manchester City, he made just five Premier League appearances before leaving 2019 to link up with Real Madrid.

Diaz spent two seasons with Los Blancos, making just 21 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga giants and scoring two goals.

It is quite evident that the San Siro is where Diaz should be if he wants to take his career to the next level.

He is likely to be reunited with Fikayo Tomori next season, with Romano claiming that the defender is closing in on a permanent move to Milan.

He was a bit-part player at Chelsea who got regular playing time in Italy last season, making 17 league appearances for the Serie A giants.

https://onefootball.com/en/news/ac-...-tomori-from-real-madrid-and-chelsea-33151381

 

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Bayern Munich revive their interest in Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi

Bayern Munich have revived their long-term interest in Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi ahead of the summer transfer window, The Times reports.

The 20-year-old was the subject of strong interest from Bayern in January 2019, but the Blues rejected four offers with the highest bid of £35 million.

Hudson-Odoi has not made much progress with the Blues since, but he continues to remain on the radar of the German champions.

The club are reportedly prepared to offload their graduate this summer. Bayern have been fancied to make a fresh move for the England international.

Sportslens view:

Hudson-Odoi was regarded as the next big thing from the Blues academy when he debuted for the club during the 2018/19 campaign.

His season ended in disappointment with a serious Achilles injury, and since his comeback, he has failed to secure regular game time.

In recent years, Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have been signed to bolster the wide attacking department.

Mason Mount has also made the breakthrough from the club’s ranks, and Hudson-Odoi is now regarded as more of a fringe player.

He was handed a string of starts in the right wing-back role when Thomas Tuchel was appointed as the club’s manager in January.

However, within a few weeks, he dropped down the pecking order with Reece James, and Cesar Azpilicueta regularly preferred ahead of him.

The £120,000-a-week star may need to move on to revive his career, and long-term admirers Bayern could be the ideal destination for him.

The club recently parted ways with Douglas Costa after a loan stint from Juventus, and they now have just three senior wingers in the squad.

Bayern tended to rotate their wide attacking players under former boss Hansi Flick, and Julian Nagelsmann could deploy a similar approach.

Nagelsmann is known for bringing the best out of young and promising prospects, and Hudson-Odoi could have the perfect platform to excel.

He will face competition from Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane but has a better chance of securing regular first-team football.

https://onefootball.com/en/news/bay...n-chelsea-forward-callum-hudson-odoi-33152379

 

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The cold war at Real Madrid over Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid news is once again dominated by the future of club captain Sergio Ramos, with Marca outlining a cold war between him and president Florentino Perez.

There are now just three weeks remaining on the talismanic defender’s contract at the club and it will officially expire on 30 June, when Ramos will become a free agent.

The report adds that Ramos is now much more open to ceding ground in the negotiation process – he is now willing to accept the club’s demands to reduce his salary by 10 percent and is also said to be open to accepting a contract of just 12 months, rather than two years or longer.

Ramos has clocked up 721 senior appearances at club level – at both Sevilla and Madrid – since his debut in 2004, scoring 104 goals in that time.

At international level too he has broken multiple records and has scored 23 goals – a remarkable total for a defender – in 180 caps for the Spanish national team, however he was not selected for this summer’s European Championships due to fitness issues.

Madrid have already confirmed the arrival of David Alaba but there are question marks over the future of Raphael Varane.

https://onefootball.com/en/news/the-cold-war-at-real-madrid-over-sergio-ramos-33157907

 

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Maurizio Sarri: Lazio appoint former Chelsea and Juventus boss as replacement for Simone Inzaghi

Maurizio Sarri has been appointed as Lazio's head coach, replacing Simone Inzaghi.

The former Chelsea and Juventus boss has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Serie A club worth around £2.6m per season after days of talks.

According to Sky in Italy, Sarri's first request to Lazio for this summer's transfer window is to secure the loan signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who enjoyed his most prolific season under the Italian at Chelsea in the 2018/19 season.

Sarri had been out of work since being sacked by Juventus in August 2020, despite winning the Serie A title in his sole season in charge, and was still under contract with the Old Lady.

His failure to lead Juventus past Lyon in the last 16 of the Champions League - the first time they had failed to reach the quarter-finals in four years - led to his departure.

Sarri was sacked a day after the defeat to the Ligue 1 side, his job already under pressure after losing to Napoli in the final of the Coppa Italia earlier in the season.

He attracted interest from a host of European clubs including Roma and Lyon this season but would only consider returning to management in the summer.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...ventus-boss-as-replacement-for-simone-inzaghi