The club will have to play their next two home Serie A games behind closed doors after the defender was subjected to alleged racist abuse Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala has backed Lega Serie A’s decision to force Inter to play two league games behind closed doors following the alleged racist abuse of Kalidou Koulibaly. Napoli defender Koulibaly was allegedly the subject of racist chants during the Boxing Day clash at San Siro, where he was sent off late in the 1-0 defeat to Inter. Inter eventually clinched victory in stoppage time, but the post-match reaction was dominated by head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s revelations that Napoli had asked for play to be suspended on…

The midfielder was back in the squad for the 1-0 win over Empoli and his coach wants him to cut out the distractions if he is to succeed in Serie A Luciano Spalletti has called on Inter midfielder Radja Nainggolan to stop being distracted by matters outside of football. Nainggolan returned to action as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Empoli, having missed the Serie A victory against Napoli by the same scoreline for disciplinary reasons. Spalletti also coached the 30-year-old Belgian midfielder at Roma and brought him to San Siro this year. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress…

Reports have suggested the Argentina international is a January target for the Stamford Bridge outfit as they look to bolster their forward line Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has played down reports that he is looking to sign AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain in January. The Blues had been interested in the Argentina international during the summer transfer window but missed out as Higuain joined Milan on a season-long loan from Juventus. The former Real Madrid forward is expected to make that move permanent at the end of the campaign despite having only scored five Serie A goals for the Rossoneri thus far. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for…

Paris Saint-Germain are set to beat Chelsea to the Argentine’s signature but there are plenty of other deals under consideration Getty #1 Declan Rice | West Ham to Manchester City Man City are acutely aware that should something happen to first-choice anchorman Fernandinho, the club's options in the middle of the park are severely limited. Therefore, speculation is mounting that they could turn to a Premier League rival in order to strengthen that position, in the shape of West Ham wonderkid Declan Rice. Bookmakers have slashed odds in recent days on him leaving east London, with Pep Guardiola's team said to be a keen admirer of a player who has…

The 61-year-old is looking to bring another team back to the top of Serie A after a glorious spell in Turin came to an end Former Juventus director Giuseppe Marotta has agreed to a move to Serie A rivals Inter. The Italian spent eight years with the Bianconeri as the club’s CEO and oversaw a successful period in which they won seven consecutive Serie A titles and made two Champions League final appearances. Just two weeks after announcing his imminent departure from Juve in October, however, Marotta began to be linked with taking on a similar role at Inter following their recent takeover. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping…

Former Wales boss John Toshack is supportive of the Arsenal midfielder making a move abroad, but has been told to immerse himself in a new culture Aaron Ramsey has been urged to avoid making the same mistakes Gareth Bale did when joining Real Madrid, with John Toshack looking for a fellow Welshman to embrace life in Italy alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. A move to the Serie A champions is seemingly edging closer for the Arsenal midfielder, with Goal revealing that he has a lucrative offer on the table from the Bianconeri. He is set to become a free agent this summer, as his contract at Emirates Stadium runs down,…

The weekend’s derby showdown will be Ronaldo’s final appearance before being given time to recharge his batteries over the festive period Cristiano Ronaldo will start the Derby della Mole against Torino on Saturday but Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is wary over his star forward’s workload. Ronaldo has adapted seamlessly to life with the Serie A champions, scoring 10 goals in 15 top-flight appearances to help Juve establish an eight-point advantage at the summit. But Allegri is looking at the bigger picture and after this weekend will take the opportunity to remove the 33-year-old from the fray during a busy period of the season. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated…

The English top-flight is the only league not to observe a Christmas break, while all the other major European leagues are afforded a short pause Having already observed the more congested parts of the festive period, several leagues in Europe will either be ultra-busy – or enjoying some much-needed time off. A handful of European clubs are luckily enough to be given a Christmas break, but others are not so lucky. Goal takes a look at when football will take a pause this winter. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage as league leaders…

It now seems likely that the winger will leave San Siro this window following comments made by the Serie A side’s manager and CEO Ivan Perisic was left on the bench for Inter’s Serie A encounter with Torino on Sunday after club CEO Giuseppe Marotta confirmed that the Arsenal target has requested to leave the club. Inter have reportedly rejected a loan offer made for the 29-year-old by the Gunners, whose boss Unai Emery has already confirmed he will only be able to sign players on a temporary basis in January. But a potential move for Perisic may have edged closer, with Luciano Spalletti having left the Croatia international out of his starting XI…

Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu is eager to tie a highly-rated left-back and manager Ernesto Valverde down to fresh terms at Camp Nou Barcelona are hoping to tie Jordi Alba down to a new five-year contract while also extending Ernesto Valverde’s stay at Camp Nou, claims club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Unwelcome speculation has surfaced in Catalunya regarding the respective futures of key men on and off the field. Valverde, who is looking to successfully defend the Liga title this season, will see his current deal expire in the summer. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane…