Milan (AFP)
The defending champion Milan faces a difficult task to retain its title in the Italian Football League, amid more than one club waiting, following the summer transfer period witnessed resonant contracts for more than one team, leaving the race open towards winning the “Calcio” title for the 2022-2023 season.
Inter, Juventus, Roma and Lazio were active in the transfer market, which portends a heated competition similar to last year, as the conflict raged until the last breath, before the Rossoneri settled by two points from its neighbor, the Neratsori.
Milan lost the efforts of Ivorian Franck Kissier to Barcelona, but it brought in the Belgian free striker Divock Origi and spent 35 million euros (36 million dollars), to win the promising and unknown striker at the same time, Belgian Charles de Kitlar.
On the other hand, Inter started the summer with a giant step, which was the return of the Belgian striker, Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, but he lost the race once morest Roma to lure Juventus veteran Paulo Dybala and once morest Juventus to include the best defender last season, Brazilian Gleason Bremer.
Bremer’s loss to his biggest potential rivals next season was a blow to Inter, and the most prominent reason for this was the inability to conclude a deal with French Paris Saint-Germain to sell the Slovakian Milan Skriniar, which led to the disruption of the deal to buy the Brazilian from Turin and allowing Juventus to snatch his signature, to be The most suitable alternative to Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt, who moved to Bayern Munich, and Giorgio Chiellini to the United States.
It seemed to reflect negatively among the fans, who believed that Simone Inzaghi’s team would strengthen their ranks enough to be the favorites to regain the title, before they became increasingly concerned regarding the financial stability of the club owned by the Chinese Suning Group.
And “Juve” supported its ranks by restoring its French star Paul Pogba, who will be absent until September due to a knee injury from Manchester United, and Argentine Angel Di Maria from Saint Germain, and continues to seek to sign the latter’s citizen and his former colleague in the French team Leandro Paredes, Serbian Philip Kostic and the striker. Dutch Memphis Depay.
But Sunday’s 4-0 friendly defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid sowed doubts, especially that the former Spanish striker Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick, and caused ambiguity regarding the future of coach Massimiliano Allegri, who needs a big season, following he finished the past in the position. Fourth hardly and 16 points behind Milan.
In contrast to the remarkable movement of other clubs, there was concern among Milan fans once morest the background of the lackluster movement of the Italian champion in the transfer market, as well as the club’s procrastination in renewing the contracts of managers Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara until the last minute, who are the architects of Milan’s renaissance in the recent period.
The team’s fans are waiting for the end of the deal to buy the American investment fund “Red Bird” for the club, which is expected to take place for 1.2 billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) with the current owners, “Elliott” in late August or early September.
The poles of Milan are still cautiously awaiting the fate of the development of the new San Siro stadium, as it is expected that a public discussion will take place next September to resolve the fate of the project, amid great rejection from some local residents.
A source in Inter confirmed that if the controversy continues once morest the construction and the suspension of the project, the two teams will move to a former industrial site in the suburb of Sesto San Giovanni, inhabited by the majority of the working class in Milan, and in which its mayor was recently re-elected, who confirmed several times that there will be no obstacles Bureaucracy in front of the construction of a new stadium.
Roma seems like a dark horse in the race for the title, and behind this is Dybala joining the Italian capital team as a free player, a deal that might change the course of the competition.
He was expected to sign the Argentine striker with Inter, following Juventus dispensed with him, but Lukaku’s return and his inability to get rid of many players in the offensive line, made the possibility of signing the Argentine impossible.
A phone conversation from Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho also played a role in persuading Dybala to seize the opportunity, and significantly reduce his wages with a team that will not participate in the Champions League next season, but he showed real ambition, following winning the first edition of the “Conference League” competition last season, The “Wolves” team also signed with Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum and is close to signing international player Andrea Belotti.
