Football Italia

Former Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici is set to continue in a consultancy role with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur after his 18-month suspended prison sentence was approved earlier this week according to reports in the UK.

Paratici set to continue in Tottenham consultancy role

Paratici, along with former Juventus directors Andrea Agnelli and Pavel Nedved were all given long-term bans as part of the Prisma investigation into the artificially inflated transfer fees given to players to help balance the club’s accounts with capital gains.

For Paratici, that ban ended in July, but he, along with Agnelli and Nedved, accepted plea bargains with the federal authorities earlier this summer. Preliminary judge Anna Maria Gavoni accepted those plea bargains earlier this week.

Agnelli agreed to a suspended sentence of one year and eight months, Paratici for one year and six months, and Nedved for one year and two months.

According to reports from The Telegraph in the UK, the ex-Juventus sporting director only accepted the plea bargain to reach the quickest possible settlement, which facilitated a return to work as soon as possible.

Wednesday’s report confirms that Paratici is set to continue in his ‘contracted consultancy agreement’ with Tottenham.

Gianluigi Donnarumma impressed on his Premier League debut for Manchester City over the weekend, but another Italy goalkeeper in Guglielmo Vicario sits atop the clean sheet charts in England’s top flight.

Here is how the Italy internationals in the Premier League got on this weekend.

Donnarumma debut

Donnarumma made a positive impression at The Etihad during his first start for Man City following his €27m transfer from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the summer transfer window.

Thrown in straight away for his first start in the Manchester Derby this weekend, Donnarumma earned rave reviews for his shot-stopping abilities against Ruben Amorim’s Man United. The highlight for the Italy captain came in the second half, with a wonderful, one-handed diving save to prevent Bryan Mbeumo within the area.

While Donnarumma is not best known for his ball-playing ability, like his Man City predecessor Ederson, there are few better on the planet when it comes to traditional goalkeeping values, ie. shot-stopping and commanding his area.

Donnarumma’s debut earned him an average rating of 8/10 from local outlets.

Vicario has best clean sheet record in Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur and Italy’s Guglielmo Vicario currently boast the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League after four matches.

Vicario started and kept another clean sheet in a 3-0 victory over West Ham in a London Derby over the weekend.

That was Vicario’s third clean sheet from four league matches so far this season, and he has only conceded once so far in the Premier League, which puts him level with Arsenal’s David Raya and Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson at the top of the charts in the race for the Premier League Golden Glove.

Fellow Italy international Destiny Udogie is still awaiting his first Premier League start of the 2024-25 campaign. He came into the season carrying an injury, and though he has come off the bench in the last two matches either side of the international break, he has dound it difficult to displace recent international Djed Spence, who has impressed in the Italian’s absence.

How the other Italy international got on in the Premier League this weekend

Italy international Riccardo Calafiori started at left-back once again as Arsenal picked up a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. He and his teammates are level with the aforementioned Tottenham and Crystal Palace with the best defensive records in the Premier League so far this season.

The former Bologna centre-back has now started four Premier League matches in succession, his longest run of consecutive starts in the league since leaving the Rossoblu last summer.

Sandro Tonali earned an average rating of 8/10 for his performance in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend. The Italy star was involved in the build-up for debutant Nick Woltemade’s goal and earned praise for his positive passing and energy in the middle of the park.

Federico Chiesa once again came off the bench for a cameo appearance at the end of Liverpool’s 1-0 win away against Burnley. Giovanni Leoni, however, did not make the matchday squad on this occasion.

Nicolo Savona earned his Premier League debut sooner than expected, coming on as a first-half substitute for the injured Murillo, but he was not able to prevent the goals flooding in, as Arsenal went on to record a 3-0 victory.

Michael Kayode started in a 2-2 draw for Brentford against Chelsea in the West London Derby this weekend, Wilfried Gnonto appeared off the bench towards the end of Leeds United’s unfortunate 1-0 loss against Fulham, while Diego Coppola was once again an unused substitute for Brighton in their 2-1 loss against Bournemouth.

Former Italy coach Luciano Spalletti and ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou have reportedly withdrawn as options for Fenerbahce.

The pair were considered among the hot favourites to replace Jose Mourinho, who parted company with the Turkish team on August 29.

That decision was taken following their failure to qualify for the Champions League in a 1-0 aggregate play-off defeat to Benfica.

Spalletti and Postecoglou will not be on Fenerbahce bench

According to Turkish transfer expert Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, Spalletti told Fenerbahce he was not interested in getting straight back into management so soon after his sacking from the Italy job.

He was dismissed in June after a disappointing EURO 2024 campaign and two dismal performances in the opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Postecoglou has also reportedly withdrawn his name from consideration for Fenerbahce, but in his case it is because he prefers to wait for an offer from one of the top five European leagues instead.

He was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur over the summer, despite winning the Europa League trophy in the Final against Manchester United.

Juventus had been pursuing a deal to bring Randal Kolo Muani back to Turin from PSG after a successful loan spell in Serie A during the second half of the 2025-26 season, but ultimately lost out on the Frenchman to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

But how were the North Londoners able to get a deal done so quickly, and why did the Old Lady decide to abandon their pursuit?

Why Juventus decided to drop Kolo Muani

Kolo Muani had spent the second half of the 2025-26 season on a straight loan with Juventus, which did not include any option to buy. He went on to score eight goals from 16 Serie A appearances, and later had his loan agreement extended so he could feature for the Bianconeri at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Given that PSG invested €90m in Kolo Muani just two years, bringing him back to Juventus was never going to be a particularly cheap affair.

That led to Juventus exploring options around another loan deal, initially seeking a loan with an option to buy, before later attempting to sign the Frenchman on another dry loan deal. Neither of those attempts proved to be successful, though.

PSG were adamant that they were seeking a fee in the region of €60m to sell Kolo Muani, and were asking for a similar buy-out fee for any loan proposals.

Additionally, Kolo Muani earns a significant salary in the region of €8m per season, which, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, would not have been out of the question for Juventus, but would have been tricky to budget while Dusan Vlahovic and his €12m salary were still on the club’s books.

In the end, the Bianconeri decided that they would be better off pursuing multiple new additions with the money that it would have taken to sign Kolo Muani.

They were eventually able to bring in a new forward in Lois Openda from RB Leipzig on loan with an option to buy for €40.6m plus bonuses, and were also able to bring in a new winger in Edon Zhegrova for a fee of €15m plus €3m in bonuses.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Openda and Zhegrova’s combined salaries are similar to what Kolo Muani earns on his own.

With Juve having decided to go in a different direction towards the end of the summer transfer window, Kolo Muani became available for other teams on the transfer market.

In the end, it was Tottenham who were able to swoop in and offer both PSG and Kolo Muani the terms that they had requested, and were able to announce the signing on the final day of the summer transfer window.

Dele Alli left Como yesterday after just eight months at the club in which the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder played just ten minutes in which he was sent off against Milan for a clumsy challenge on compatriot Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

In a statement on their official website, Como wished farewell to the Englishman, confirming why the parties agreed to a mutual termination of the contract, “Dele is keen to secure regular playing opportunities and, as he was not part of the club’s immediate plans, both parties felt it was the right decision to part ways ahead of the transfer window closing.”

The club added that they “thank Dele for his time at Como and wish him the very best for the future.”

Former golden boy Dele Alli leaves Como after dismal spell

Alli signed for Como in January on a free transfer, signing a 18-month deal to keep him at the club, in theory, until 2026. It was a gamble for the newly-promoted Serie A side, with the midfielder not playing a minute of professional football in nearly two years.

The Englishman made just one appearance for Cesc Fabregas’ side, coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute against Milan before receiving his red card after a VAR check upgraded the initial yellow.

Alli did not return to the squad after this incident and was told in the summer he was no longer part of Fabregas’ plans.

The 29-year-old will now seek a new club as a free agent.

Milan are considering a dramatic move for free agent Sergio Reguilon, as reports from Italy claim the player’s representatives have contacted the Rossoneri in hopes to convince them to take on the experienced defender to improve squad depth.

According to what has been reported by CalcioMercato, via MilanNews24, Massimiliano Allegri’s side may not be done in the transfer market – despite the window slamming shut yesterday evening.

The reports claim that whilst negotiations are not currently in progress, a move cannot be ruled out if Allegri asks sporting director Igli Tare for the additional reinforcement.

Could former Spurs and Man Utd defender Reguilon join Milan?

Sergio Reguilon has become a bit of a journeyman, playing for six different clubs in the last six years. The 28-year-old, who started his career at Real Madrid, spent the 2019-20 season on loan with Sevilla where he won the Europa League before signing for Tottenham Hotspur in the same summer.

His spell with the North London side was mixed, playing 67 times in all competitions across two seasons before being loaned out to Atlético Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns.

Reguilon returned to Spurs last season but played just six times in all competitions and left the club as a free agent when his contract expired in the summer.

Juventus are on the verge of missing out on the signing of former loanee Randal Kolo Muani, as the PSG striker is close to agreeing a move to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur according to the latest updates.

The summer transfer window in Serie A ends today at 20:00 CET (19:00 BST). Make sure you follow all the live updates and confirmed transfers on the Football Italia LIVEBLOG.

Juventus set to miss out on Kolo Muani return

According to reports from Fabrizio Romano, Kolo Muani is close to reaching an agreement on personal terms with Tottenham.

Juventus have been targeting a move for the Frenchman for the vast majority of the summer transfer window following his successful loan spell in Turin in the second half of the 2024-25 campaign. Kolo Muani averaged a goal every other game in Serie A during his time with the Old Lady, with a tally of eight from 16.

PSG also sanctioned an extension to Kolo Muani’s loan deal earlier this year, which allowed him to represent the Bianconeri at the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Bianconeri have explored numerous options and formulae with PSG, including a permanent deal, a loan with an option to buy and most recently a straight loan deal, but have still not been able to secure an agreement.

Now, on deadline day, Tottenham are making attempts to sign Kolo Muani. PSG are reportedly requesting a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Multiple sources claim that Bayern Munich have made an approach for Ademola Lookman, but it was already rejected, while Tottenham and Galatasaray are interested.

The Athletic was the first to break the news that the Bundesliga giants have contacted Atalanta for Lookman, proposing a paid loan with option to buy at the end of the season.

This makes it totally unacceptable for La Dea, as Sky Sport Italia, Sport Mediaset, Sportitalia and more report they immediately turned it down.

They will only accept a permanent sale for the Nigeria international.

The reported fee of €28m for the option to buy is also considered far too low, as his value is €50m.

Lookman hopes for last-minute swoop

There might be hope yet for Atalanta and Lookman, because Sky Sports Germany claim that Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray are also interested, and they could be prepared to buy him outright.

Atalanta promised Lookman he could be sold this summer, but only to a club outside of Italy, so turned down the €42m plus €3m bonus proposal put forward by Inter.

He has been training separately ever since returning from a couple of weeks where he went AWOL in protest.

Bayern Munich find themselves suddenly needing a new striker after the chaotic situation with Nicolas Jackson, who landed in Germany for his medical last night only to be told to turn around and return to Chelsea.

That was meant to be a loan with option to buy, cancelled because Liam Delap sustained a hamstring injury.

Milan remain interested in a deal for Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji, who has also recently been linked with a move to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, but there is still plenty of work to do before a deal is struck. Here is what needs to happen.

Where Milan stand in Akanji pursuit

According to reports in the final week of the transfer window, Milan are still looking to bring in new additions at both centre-forward and at centre-back. Akanji, along with the likes of Jakub Kiwior and Kim Min-jae have been linked with moves to San Siro over the last few days.

According to recent updates, a deal for Kim appears unlikely, while Kiwior is set to join FC Porto instead. Akanji, however, remains available.

The Switzerland international had been close to a move to Galatasaray earlier this transfer window. As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Man City had accepted an offer in the region of €15m from the Turkish giants: An indication of the price it will cost Milan to get a deal done.

Akanji, however, did not give his final approval to the move, and a deal ultimately did not come off.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 30-year-old currently earns a salary in the region of €5m per season on a deal that runs until the summer of 2027.

The Pink Paper suggests that Milan could offer Akanji a similar amount to the total wages that he is owed on the final two years of his Man City deal, however, spread over three years rather than two.

Milan could potentially go slightly higher than that by offering a three-year contract until 2028 with a salary in the region of €4m per year.

Friday’s report adds that Akanji is currently Massimiliano Allegri’s preferred option to come in at centre-back.

Reports in Italy claim that Real Madrid have already mapped out a plan for Como talent Nico Paz, who has been subject of transfer interest from Tottenham Hotspur, which is likely to see the talented 20-year-old return to the Bernabeu in the near future.

Recent reports claim that Tottenham had submitted a series of bids for the three-time Argentina international this summer, initially worth €50m, and later €70m, although Como President Mirwan Suwarso has claimed that reports the club turned down bids for Paz are ‘untrue’.

What Real Madrid plan to do with Nico Paz

Paz is currently a Como player, having signed for a fee of €6m last summer, but a move away from the club remains complicated given that he is still connected to his former team Real Madrid by a series of buy-back options.

Madrid had an option to buy Paz back for a fee of €8m this summer, which they decided against. They still, however, have a €9m option to buy the player back in the summer of 2026, and for €10m in the summer of 2027. Madrid are also entitled to a 50% sell-on if Paz moves elsewhere.

Though Madrid decided against buying Paz back this summer, reports from Calciomercato.com claim that they have already decided to activate their buy-back option next summer.

This would see the 20-year-old return to the Bernabeu for a fee of €9m, which would bring a small profit of €3m for Como, although that sum does not quite compare to the €70m offer that Tottenham had reportedly submitted.

For now, Paz is expected to stay on with Como for the 2025-26 season according to Wednesday’s update, as he hopes for continuity and regular playing time in Serie A with an eye on the Argentina national team squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup next summer.