Football Italia

Italy international Guglielmo Vicario has been named as a starter for Tottenham’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon, despite recently turning down a call-up to the national team due to an operation he is due to have next week.

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Why is Vicario starting for Tottenham but is not part of the Italy squad?

Vicario was not named in Gennaro Gattuso’s 28-player Italy squad for the World Cup play-offs coming up this international break. The Azzurri will host Northern Ireland on Thursday evening in the semi-final and the winner of that match will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home for a spot at the final tournament.

Tottenham confirmed that the reason behind Vicario’s absence from the Italy squad was due to the fact that he is due to have surgery on a sports hernia.

This procedure is expected to take place next week, and is likely to rule the stopper out for around a month.

Tottenham confirmed that Vicario decided to have the procedure done now in order to minimise the impact on his availability at club level.

The decision to skip the play-offs was understandable given that Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma is expected to start in both matches, assuming that Italy get past Northern Ireland in the semi-final.

However, it does come as a slight surprise to see vicario still in the starting line-up for Tottenham’s Premier League relegation clash against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, given that he is due to have an operation in the coming days.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery and will be ruled out of action for around a month, which is why he is not part of the 28-man Italy national team squad for the World Cup play-off, which kicks off next week.

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Why is Vicario not in the latest Italy national team squad?

CT Gennaro Gattuso has confirmed his squad of 28 players to take on Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semi-final in Bergamo on March 26. The winner of that tie will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home in a one-legged play-off final on March 31.

Among Gattuso’s selections are four goalkeepers in Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Alex Meret (Napoli) and Elia Caprile (Cagliari), but there is no Vicario, who has been Italy’s regular second-choice for most of the last two years.

Initially, there had been speculation over Vicario’s form at Tottenham being the reason behind his absence from the Italy squad, however, Spurs have since confirmed that the former Empoli stopper requires surgery and will not be available for the play-offs.

Tottenham’s statement explains that Vicario has decided to have surgery now in order to minimise the impact on his season at club level. It is, and was always expected that Donnarumma will start in the play-off semi-final and the final should Italy qualify.

“We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery next week on a hernia,” read a statement from Tottenham on Friday.

“The minor procedure for the Italy international goalkeeper has been timed to have as minimal impact on our season as possible.

“Guglielmo will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately, and it is hoped that he could return to action within the next month.”

We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery next week on a hernia.

The minor procedure for the Italy international goalkeeper has been timed to have as minimal impact on our season as possible.

Guglielmo will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff… pic.twitter.com/7hYaJyTQrK

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 20, 2026

La Gazzetta dello Sport confirms Piero Ausilio’s trip to London to hold talks with Guglielmo Vicario’s agent, but, according to the report, the Inter director also explored moves for other targets.

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Inter sporting director Ausilio travelled to London earlier this week to continue negotiations for Tottenham and Italy goalkeeper Vicario, who has emerged as the Nerazzurri’s top goalkeeping target for next season.

Latest Inter transfer updates: Vicario, Gimenez, Goretzka

According to Gazzetta, Ausilio made the trip with Dario Baccin, another Inter director, and watched Wednesday’s Champions League match between Tottenham and Atletico Madrid at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, accompanied by Vicario’s agent, Gabriele Giuffrida.

On Tuesday, Baccin and Ausilio were at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea-PSG.

Vicario’s agent and Inter directors are already on good terms, and the Italian keeper is very much open to moving to San Siro in the summer.

According to Gazzetta, Inter see him as the ideal replacement for Yann Sommer, particularly in terms of value for money.

Cagliari’s Elia Caprile and Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin have also been considered by the Serie A table leaders, but Vicario is by far their favourite target, being available for barely €20m.

Gazzetta claims that Ausilio also used his trip to London to gather information about other potential targets.

One of them is Atletico Madrid’s José Maria Gimenez, who might be allowed to leave the Colchoneros for free at the end of the season, despite a contract expiring in June 2028.

Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka is another potential target for Inter as the Germany international has been offered to all top Serie A clubs after deciding not to extend his expiring contract with the Bavarians.

Inter director Piero Ausilio has reportedly travelled to London, where he has scheduled a meeting with Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

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It is no secret that Italy international Vicario is Inter’s top goalkeeping target for next season.

Latest Inter transfer updates: Vicario

According to Calciomercato.com, the Nerazzurri director Piero Ausilio has travelled to London to hold talks with the Tottenham star.

Spurs are fighting for Premier League survival, and Vicario is eager to return to Serie A next season.

Calciomercato.com confirms that the Italy international has already given the green light to a move to Inter.

With Yann Sommer’s contract expiring at the end of the season, the Nerazzurri are already preparing to sign a new goalkeeper, and preliminary talks with Vicario’s entourage began some weeks ago.

According to several sources, Tottenham will likely demand a fee between €15m and €20m for Vicario, but if Spurs are relegated to the Championship, their asking price will drop further.

Vicario has conceded 165 goals in 115 games with Tottenham, but won the Europa League with the Premier League club last season.

La Gazzetta dello Sport confirms that Guglielmo Vicario is Inter’s main goalkeeping target for 2026-27 and that the Italian is open to returning to Serie A after his relationship with Tottenham reached a low point.

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Inter have identified Italy international Vicario as their main target in goal for next season.

Latest transfer updates on Vicario and Inter

The Nerazzurri are looking for a new starting goalkeeper for 2026-27, and previous reports suggested they would hold a new round of talks with the Tottenham star’s agents this month.

According to Gazzetta, Vicario has already informed his agents that he’d be happy to return to Serie A, particularly at Inter, which he was already close to joining in 2023 before his switch from Empoli to Tottenham.

Gazzetta highlights that Vicario’s relationship with Spurs reached a low point in recent months, so the Nerazzurri are confident they can reach an agreement with the Premier League side, who are currently fighting to avoid relegation.

Inter, however, are aware that Tottenham’s asking price will be between €15m and €20m next summer, provided they remain in the Premier League.

Inter are not expected to offer a contract extension to Yann Sommer, although the club could change their mind and keep the Swiss international as a second-choice goalkeeper next season if they receive offers for Josep Martinez.

Reports in Italy claim that Juventus are interested in a potential summer transfer for Tottenham Hotspur and former Genoa defender Djed Spence as the Bianconeri draw up a list of targets to strengthen their full-back position.

Juventus interested in Tottenham’s Spence according to reports in Italy

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, full-back is among the priority positions for Juventus to strengthen during the off-season. There have been recent links between the Bianconeri and Italy hopeful Michael Kayode at Brentford, and also with Roma’s Zeki Celik, who could become available on a free transfer.

According to Monday’s reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the latest name on the wishlist is Tottenham right-back Spence, who knows Juventus sporting director Marco Ottolini from their time together at Genoa.

Ottolini brought Spence to Genoa on loan with an option to buy, around the same time that Radu Dragusin moved to Tottenham during the January transfer window in 2024. The three-time England international made 16 Serie A appearances during the second half of the 2023-24 campaign.

As things stand, there have not been any formal negotiations between the two sides, but according to Monday’s report, Juventus would need to pay a fee in the region of €30m if they are to lure Spence away from the relegation-threatened Tottenham.

That is a similar fee to the one that has been cited for the potential signing of Kayode.

€30m is a considerable fee for Juventus, especially at full-back, and La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that the Old Lady may have to look at moving on one of their current players first before they are able to pull off this sort of deal. Pierre Kalulu has been mentioned as one of the players who could potentially be sacrificed in the summer.

Tuttosport newspaper reports that Juventus have opened preliminary talks with Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who wants to return to Serie A this summer.

Juventus are among the clubs interested in Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario, and according to Tuttosport, the Bianconeri have already opened preliminary talks with the player’s entourage.

Vicario wants Serie A return

Vicario is eager to return to Serie A in the summer, according to various sources, and his price tag is around €20m.

His salary in North London is also quite affordable for Juventus as the Italy international earns €2.6m at Tottenham.

Juventus, however, are not the only club to have established contact with Vicario’s representatives.

Matteo Moretto has reported that Inter are currently leading the race for the ex-Empoli and Cagliari goalkeeper.

Juventus are expected to change their starting goalkeeper in 2026-27, with Mattia Perin and Michele Di Gregorio both available for transfer.

Read more – Tottenham Hotspur fans rage at struggling Vicario

The Premier League has removed a video from its X and TikTok accounts that appeared to mock Tottenham and Italy goalkeeper Vicario.

Premier League removes controversial Vicario video

Sources in the UK claim that the Premier League decided to remove the video following a complaint from Spurs.

As reported by The Athletic, the clip showed Vicario blsting a free-kick from inside his own half directly out of play during Tottenham’s 2-1 loss away at Fulham on Sunday. The video was captioned as: ‘Just how the play was drawn up.’

It also included an added caption reading: ‘An interesting free-kick from Vicario,’ followed a laughing emoji, then ‘whoops’ with another laughing emoji, before cutting to new Tottenham coach Igor Tudor.

The Athletic reports that the video was viewed almost half million times on X before it was delated.

Vicario, 29, has kept 13 clean sheets in 38 games across all competitions this season, conceding 54 goals.

Italy international Destiny Udogie will miss Sunday’s Serie A match against Fulham due to a hamstring injury, and his involvement in the World Cup play-off in March remains highly uncertain.

Italian left-back Udogie will miss Sunday’s Premier League match against Fulham.

New Tottenham coach Igor Tudor provided the latest injury update for both Udogie and ex-Juventus star Dejan Kulusevski during a press conference.

Tudor’s injury update on Udogie

“It’s on a weekly basis. When they come, they come,” Tudor said via Football London.

“We need to be focused on the way, also, on how they come back into the team. Also, the main important thing is that, over time, they are recovering to be in good condition so that when they come back, they are in good shape. Otherwise, it’s a problem. But we are working. This is an important part of our job.”

Udogie has already missed 15 games across all competitions with Tottenham this season, due to hamstring and knee problems.

The former Udinese star has only provided one assist in 20 appearances across all competitions, collecting just 1.100 minutes on the field at a club level.

As previously reported by Football London, Udogie is not expected to return to action before mid-March, which means his involvement in the World Cup play-off remains uncertain.

The Azzurri will face Northern Ireland in the semifinal on March 26, while the potential Final is scheduled for March 31 against the winner of Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.

PSG-owned striker Randal Kolo Muani reportedly remains Juventus’ top target for next season, especially as Dusan Vlahovic’s future in Turin is still uncertain.

Juventus are preparing to open contract extension talks with Luciano Spalletti, but, as reported by Tuttosport, the coach’s future at the Allianz Stadium largely depends on Juventus’ plans for the future and their summer transfer campaign.

Juventus remain interested in Kolo Muani

The Turin-based paper claims that Spalletti expects one big signing in each department, and Tottenham loanee Kolo Muani remains the Bianconeri’s primary target for 2026-27.

The Old Lady already tried to bring the Frenchman back to Turin in the January window, but Spurs refused to let him leave.

According to the report, Juventus will want to sign Kolo Muani next summer regardless of Vlahovic’s future. The Serbia international’s contract expires in June, and contract extension talks should resume next week.

Who could leave Juventus in 2026-27?

Tuttosport adds that Juventus have also opened talks with other reinforcements across different departments, including full-backs Oscar Mingueza and Roma’s Zeki Celik, who are available as free agents.

Bernardo Silva, also available for free at the end of his contract in June, and Sandro Tonali are the main targets in central midfield, while Teun Koopmeiners will leave.

The same is true of Federico Gatti, who has attracted interest from the Premier League, as well as goalkeepers Michele Di Gregorio and Mattia Perin.