Football Italia

Reports from Sky Sport Italia claim that Cesc Fabregas and Como have turned down a €40m offer from Tottenham Hotspur for Nico Paz, who is still inked to Real Madrid buy a 50% sell-on clause and a series of bargain buy-back options.

Reports Como have rejected significant Tottenham offer for Nico Paz

Paz, one of the brightest breakout stars of the 2024-25 Serie A season, has been linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs this summer, including with a return to Real Madrid and a move to join Inter earlier this summer.

Now, according to Sky Sport Italia, Tottenham have submitted a €40m proposal to Como for the Argentine talent, which has been firmly rejected.

According to Thursday’s report, it will take an offer in the region of €70m to convince Como into selling the 20-year-old attacker, who is considered one of the brightest prospects in Europe.

Sky adds that an offer in the region of €60m might be enough to convince Como into negotiating.

Tottenham’s reported bid comes after the departure of long-standing fan-favourite Heung-min Son, who has left the club after 10 years to join LAFC in MLS. Reports on Thursday also confirm that attacking midfielder James Maddison will miss a significant chunk of the 2025-26 season with a cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Como, meanwhile, have been working on a deal to remove Real Madrid’s buy-back options for Nico Paz.

Los Blancos are able to pinch the 20-year-old back for a bargain fee of just €9m until June 30, 2026, and for €10m the following year. As things stand, Real Madrid also have a 50% sell-on clause, which means that Como would have only received €20m had the €40m offer from Tottenham been accepted.

Tottenham Hotspur can expect a wave of local support in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, because it’s the host city of the first Guglielmo Vicario fan club.

The two teams will face off at the Stadio Friuli in Udine for the European Super Cup on August 13, between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League trophies.

While PSG have Italy international Gianluigi Donnarumma in the side, the local fans will all be behind Spurs for one very specific reason.

Vicario the local lad who found fame in London

The world’s first Vicario fan club has been founded in Udine, which is the hometown of the 28-year-old goalkeeper.

He came up through the Udinese youth academy, going on to play for Venezia, Cagliari, Perugia, Empoli and then making the €18.5m transfer to Tottenham in 2023.

La Gazzetta dello Sport point out the fan club was set up at the Black Stuff Irish pub in Udine, by Giovanni and Cesare Pigani, with the help of Alessandro Bais and Vicario’s uncle Francesco Persolja.

Reports in Italy claim that Juventus are already beginning to look at potential midfielders, including players at Tottenham, Fulham and Sporting CP, to replace Douglas Luiz after the Brazilian went AWOL on the first day of pre-season training.

Douglas Luiz is expected to be fined and then sold after failing to report for the first day of Juventus’s pre-season training camp on Thursday.

The Brazilian had already struggled to justify his €50m price tag during his first season in Turin following his move from Aston Villa last summer, and is now expected to be shown out of the Allianz Stadium as a result of his unauthorised absence on Thursday.

Who could replace Douglas Luiz at Juventus?

Initial reports claim that Juventus are hoping to raise around €40m if they are to sell the 27-year-old this summer.

Now, according to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri are already beginning to consider potential options to replace the Brazilian.

One of the midfielders that Juventus are particularly keen on is Sporting CP’s Morten Hjulmand, formerly of Lecce.

The 26-year-old is expected to cost just as much, if not more than Douglas Luiz, though, with a price tage in the region of €40m. La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that this is only feasible if Juventus are able to make sales first, pointing to Douglas Luiz, Dusan Vlahovic and/or Nico Gonzalez.

Another option for the Bianconeri is Tottenham Hotspur’s Yves Bissouma.

Though he is slightly more experienced and is expected to cost less than Hjulmand, the Mali international would take up the last remaining non-EU slot in Juve’s squad, which the club are currently hoping to give to Nahuel Mollina if they are able to strike a deal with Atletico Madrid.

Fulham midfielder Sander Berge has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Douglas Luiz at Juventus, as has former Fiorentina and Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, and Florentino from Benfica.

Tottenham won’t listen to offers below €50m for Destiny Udogie, which is why Milan turned to Pervis Estupinan after holding preliminary talks with Spurs earlier this summer, reports Gazzetta.

Italy international Udogie won’t leave Tottenham unless the North London club receives offers worth at least €50m.

Tottenham set Udogie price tag

Tuesday’s printed edition of Gazzetta (page 13) reports that Udogie is not considering leaving Tottenham unless he’s tempted by a proposal from a bigger club, which hasn’t materialised at the moment.

Milan had sounded out the availability of the ex-Udinese defender in previous weeks, but they were convinced to look elsewhere for Theo Hernandez’s replacement as Tottenham would not sell the Italian for less than €50m.

Milan picked Estupinan over Udogie

The Rossoneri have now reached an agreement for Brighton left-back Pervis Estupinan, who is set to move to San Siro for €19m including add-ons.

Udogie, 22, moved to Tottenham in 2023 in an €18m deal from Udinese. He’s under contract with Spurs until June 2030.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie has revealed his ‘dream’ to play with Italy at the World Cup, after admitting ‘it was a blow’ to miss the European Championships last summer.

Udogie reveals how his football journey started

Speaking in a lengthy interview with VivoAzzurroTV, with quotes via TMW, Udogie opened by explaining how his footballing journey began: “I was at a tournament in Nogara, where I lived, and there were several scouts – from Atalanta, Milan and Hellas Verona. I remember the one from Atalanta stopped my coach and asked how old I was. He replied that I was born in 2002 and the scout didn’t believe it was because I was already a bit bigger than the other guys. My father had to show him my documents and told him I was born here in Italy – and then he believed it! [Laughs]”

Udogie’s youth career began with Hellas Verona in 2017 – where he spent four years before his move to Udinese. Udogie made just six Serie A appearances with the Veronese side before moving to Udinese on loan with an obligation to buy. After spending just one season with Udinese, Premier League side Spurs snapped up the full-back for €20 million – immediately loaning him back to the Udine side for another season.

Udogie on Europa League glory and ‘dream’ of World Cup

Spurs lifted the Europa League in 2024-25, beating fellow Premier League side Manchester United in the final in Bilbao. When asked about the victory, Udogie said “Yes, it’s my first trophy. Winning something so big is an incredible feeling because it’s every child’s dream when they start playing. When you play football, you want to represent your country, and I’ve always dreamed of playing for the national team – doing it in big stadiums in front of your fans!”

Udogie’s dream of playing for Italy on the biggest stages was brutally delayed due to an injury he suffered in his first full season with Tottenham, missing out on last summer’s European Championships where reigning champions Italy were knocked out by Switzerland in the Round of 16.

When asked how it felt to miss the EUROs, Udogie said that “It was a real blow because everything was going so well – both with Tottenham and the national team. Of course, you want to play at the Euros, it’s a major tournament and you want to be there with the squad. I had a leg problem, I had surgery and, yeah, it hurts. But I believe everything happens for a reason, so I reacted calmly and just kept going.”

Finally, Udogie was asked what it would mean to play at the World Cup: “It would be more than a dream. As a kid, you watch the TV and think ‘one day I want to be there!’ Now that I have the chance to get there, I think of it as a goal more than a dream. I really want it to happen and I want to experience it to the fullest!”

According to reports in Belgium, Inter are on the verge of securing Genoa defender Koni De Winter for €25m, as he prefers them to Tottenham Hotspur.

The former Juventus centre-back is a target for several different clubs this summer following an impressive couple of campaigns at Marassi.

Other interested parties include Bologna and Atalanta, but Tottenham and Inter have emerged as the main contenders.

De Winter leaning towards Inter

Today Nieuwsblad in Belgium insists that De Winter has made his decision and that is preferring Inter to the Premier League side.

It doesn’t mean a transfer is imminent, though, because the Nerazzurri need to sell first in order to free up space in their defence for the 23-year-old.

The cost of the operation is expected to reach €25m including add-ons, with the player agreeing personal terms for a switch to San Siro.

He is a Belgium international with three senior caps and has been in Italy since 2018 for Juventus, making the transfer to Genoa for €8m in 2024 following an initial loan.

As part of that deal, Genoa still owe Juve a 20 per cent cut of the sell-on fee.

Italian sources claim that Granit Xhaka and Yves Bissouma (Tottenham) are among Juventus’ midfield targets for the summer.

Juventus are expected to sign at least one new central midfielder, and according to Tuttosport and Gazzetta, the Bianconeri have shown interest in Swiss veteran Xhaka, who has also held talks with Milan.

Juventus target Xhaka

New Juventus director Damien Comolli is preparing to sell Douglas Luiz to finance the purchase of a new central midfielder, but there are still many candidates on his agenda.

Xhaka is only one of the latest names linked with a move to the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus’ midfield targets

The likes of Morten Hjulmand (Sporting CP), Florentino (Benfica) and Bissouma of Tottenham are also reported to be among the Juventus targets.

As for Bissouma, Gazzetta says that the excellent relationship between Comolli and Spurs, one of his former clubs, could facilitate a deal for the 28-year-old midfielder who is valued between €15m and €20m.

A possible deal between Juventus and Tottenham ‘doesn’t seem impossible,’ according to Gazzetta, while the Juventus director is considering the pros and cons of signing the Spurs midfielder.

Juventus are reportedly interested in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma, as the Bianconeri continue to look to reinforce their squad.

According to what has been reported by the Gazzetta dello Sport, via TMW, Juventus’ desire to compete for the Scudetto again has led them to the trail of Bissouma – and the relationship between Bianconeri general manager Damien Comolli and Spurs owner Daniel Levy may help get a deal over the line.

Bissouma the plan to strengthen the midfield

Bissouma has been a strong part of the Spurs set-up since signing from Brighton in June 2022 for a £25 million fee. After establishing himself a key player for the Seagulls, the North London club went on to win the race to sign the player.

Since his arrival in the English capital, the Mali international has made 79 appearances and scored two goals.

Friday’s reports claim that Real Madrid and Milan are among the clubs interested in pursuing a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for Italy international Destiny Udogie.

The 22-year-old has gained interest following a series of encouraging performances for Tottenham over the last two seasons following his move from Udinese.

However, the fact that Udogie is still under contract in North London for another five years, until the summer of 2030, Tottenham are expected to command a significant transfer fee if they are to part ways with the 12-time Italy international this summer.

Reports Milan and Madrid interested in Udogie deal

According to reports from TheBoyHotspur, Tottenham will demand a transfer fee in the region of €50m-€60m if Udogie is to be sold this summer.

That fee is likely to rule Milan out of the running, despite Friday’s reports linking the Rossoneri with a move for Udogie.

Aside from Milan, Real Madrid is the other club to have been mentioned in connection with a move for Udogie.

Los Blancos, now under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, have been monitoring Udogie for an extended period already, and it is claimed that they will make a decision on whether to submit a formal bid to Tottenham in the coming days. Udogie is not, however, the only left-back on Madrid’s list this summer.

Udine will host the 2025 UEFA Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, with FIGC President Gabriele Gravina confirming this could be a venue for EURO 2032.

The one-off match is played every year between the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League holders.

Both will have Italian representation on the pitch from Gianluigi Donnarumma at PSG and Tottenham pair Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie.

Udinese recently revamped arena

UEFA assigned the Stadio Friuli, or the Bluenergy Stadium as it is known when Serie A side Udinese are playing there, for hosting duties on Wednesday August 13.

“I am very proud to say that Italy are for the first time hosting the one-off UEFA Super Cup match and we are proud to be doing it here,” said Federation President Gravina in a press conference.

“What has been done here shows how it is fundamental to invest in the organisation of these events. We are also working on EURO 2032, hoping that Udine can be a part of that.”

Italy had originally tried to have hosting duties for the entire EURO 2032 tournament, but the difficulties in getting enough stadiums up to code saw them ultimately co-host with Turkey.