The Blues had been keen on signing the centre-back last summer, although he looks likely to remain with the Serie A champions Any hopes Chelsea had of landing Juventus centre-back Daniele Rugani appear to be over, with the 24-year-old set to sign a new contract with the Serie A champions. As reported by Goal, Rugani was on the Blues’ transfer wishlist in the summer, with a representative for the Premier League club, Fali Ramadani, meeting with Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici to discuss a potential deal. Indeed, Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri prioritised the signing of Rugani, whom he managed during the defender’s loan spell at Empoli between 2013 and 2015.…

The Old Lady are set to add another brand to their shirts, making full use of the Portuguese’s financial pull Juventus are looking to maximise the commercial power of Cristiano Ronaldo by signing a first ever sleeve sponsorship. According to a report from Tuttosport, the Serie A leaders could reportedly generate as much as €10 million (£9m) per year through such a deal, a figure close to that of Arsenal’s three-year agreement with the Rwanda Tourist Board. Serie A only permitted teams to advertise on their sleeves at the beginning of the 2018/19 season, with the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Ligue 1 already having brought in the measure. Article…

Mario Mandzukic and Stephan El Shaarawy are among the five Serie A superstars you can buy for cheap on the FUT market. Christmas is only a few sleeps away and many will be hoping to find FIFA 19 under their tree. With so many in-form and Icon cards already on the market, building your first Ultimate Team squad can be a daunting task. If you’re looking for a few exciting players that won’t break the bank, the Serie A is a fantastic league to start in. Of course you won’t be able to afford Cristiano Ronaldo at the start but Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan and the other sides are all stacked…

The Giallorossi owner hailed the Serbia international’s attitude and encouraged the rest of the squad to follow his example amid criticism from fans Roma chairman James Pallotta says he wants ’22 guys like Aleksandar Kolarov’ and has hailed the left-back’s work ethic and professionalism. The Giallorossi are having a disappointing season, sitting in sixth and having been embarrassed by a 7-1 scoreline against Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia.  Kolarov has hit out at the club’s ultras over their criticism of the team’s performances, subsequently turning them against him. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress in Spurs win Magnificent Mane takes centre stage…

The Belgian has reiterated that he is content staying in Italy after leaving Roma for Inter this summer, and has no plans to move to England Inter and Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan has revealed that he has no misgivings about snubbing offers from Chelsea and Manchester United in the past, and has no regrets over deciding to stay in Serie A after leaving Roma earlier in the summer. The 30-year-old made the €38 million (£33m/$42.4m) move to San Siro in June, and has reiterated his happiness in remaining to stay in Italy rather than agreeing to a move to the Premier League. Nainggolan admitted that though he was offered a substantial pay rise…

The Santos youngster, just weeks past his 18th birthday, was involved in all his side’s goals as they staggered into the final phase When the South American Under-20 Championship rolls around every two years, Brazil are always title contenders.   Even after a disastrous 2017 campaign, normal service was expected to resume in Chile this month. However, a Selecao side shorn of star Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior – deemed too important to his club’s Liga campaign to be released for international duty – have had to rely on a future Merengue hotshot to negotiate the first round. Article continues below Editors' Picks Sarri vindicated for dropping Kepa as Chelsea & Pedro impress…

The Argentina striker ended his loan at AC Milan to move from Juventus to Stamford Bridge – a switch that has earned him criticism Gonzalo Higuain has been labelled a ‘mercenary’ for leaving AC Milan to join Premier League club Chelsea. Italy’s interior minister Matteo Salvini on Monday lashed out at the Argentina striker – and not for the first time. Higuain was loaned to AC Milan by Juventus early in the Serie A season following Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Turin. 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 Liverpool put on…

The Portuguese star was pleased with his brace but not his side’s Serie A draw with Parma Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo was unhappy after his side’s 3-3 draw with Parma in the Serie A on Saturday. Ronaldo scored a brace as Juve took a 3-1 lead, only for a late double from Gervinho to secure a draw for Parma at Allianz Stadium. While the Portuguese star was glad to get on the scoresheet, the 33-year-old rued the result for the league leaders. 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 Liverpool put…

The manager had no qualms over the decisions made during the match but the former Roma star took exception Luciano Spalletti defended the performance of referee Gianluca Rocchi in Inter’s exhilarating 2-2 draw at Roma, but Francesto Totti was left frustrated by what he saw as “shameful” officiating. The Nerazzurri were twice pegged back in Sunday’s Serie A encounter, with Cengiz Under’s stunning strike and an Aleksandar Kolarov penalty cancelling out Keita Balde Diao’s effort and Mauro Icardi’s thumping header. Roma were incensed in the first half when Rocchi opted not to award a spot-kick for an apparent Danilo D’Ambrosio trip on Nicolo Zaniolo, with Roma legend Francesco Totti questioning…

The forward apologised to the club and its fans after being sent off during AC Milan’s loss to Juventus. AC Milan forward Gonzalo Higuain apologised for his red card against Juventus, but insisted he did not insult anyone. Higuain endured a miserable outing against his parent club, having a penalty saved before being sent off in Milan’s 2-0 loss at San Siro on Sunday. The forward’s 41st-minute spot-kick was saved by Wojciech Szczesny before he was sent off late for dissent. 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 Liverpool put on…