Tag: Inter

USMNT midfielder Tessmann’s move to Inter reportedly collapses

The Venezia midfielder won’t be heading to the San Siro after all

Tanner Tessmann’s transfer to Inter appears to be dead.

The Venezia midfielder has seen his transfer to the Serie A champion collapse, per a report in Tuttosport.

Various reports had suggested that a deal was imminent, but Tessmann’s salary demands, his agents’ fee demands, as well as a lack of an agreement on a loan destination have all reportedly contributed to the move falling apart.

Inter had planned on signing Tessmann and then loaning him abroad for a season. At a press conference on Friday, Venezia sporting director Filippo Antonelli said that the 22-year-old’s move was in danger of falling through due to difficulty nailing down a loan destination

“[The transfer] was closed with the club [Inter]. We wanted to keep the player on loan, but he wants to go elsewhere,” Antonelli said.

“Inter have been looking for a solution but they still haven’t identified which club he could join on loan. The deal may collapse because of this.”

Pro Soccer Wire reported last week that Everton and Feyenoord made last-ditch offers for the U.S. men’s national team midfielder, who has also generated interest from other teams in Italy.

“Torino didn’t call me personally,” Antonelli said. “Como did call me and Fiorentina made an inquiry. His agents say that there are many foreign clubs interested, but they haven’t yet called me.”

Playing alongside fellow American midfielder Gianluca Busio, Tessmann was vital for Venezia last season as the club secured promotion to Serie A by winning the Serie B promotion playoff.

Venezia has allowed both Busio and Tessmann to join up with the USMNT for the Olympics, which begin next week. Antonelli said that in contrast to Tessmann, he was expecting Busio to stay with the club .

“It is certainly a showcase for them,” Antonelli said of the Olympics. “We have taken a step towards the boys, who are very attached to the national team. We have granted this opportunity.

“Tessmann will most likely leave, Busio will most likely stay. He is attached to us, he will still be a protagonist, we think he can be very important. He has grown a lot, perhaps more than Tessmann, he is the one who has grown the most.”

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Source: Feyenoord and Everton make last-ditch effort to land USMNT midfielder Tessmann

The chase for the USMNT midfielder isn’t over yet

Tanner Tessmann’s presumed move to Inter may not be fully sealed after all.

A source close to the situation has told Pro Soccer Wire that the Venezia midfielder has recently seen offers come in from Premier League side Everton as well as Dutch power Feyenoord.

Inter still very well could land Tessmann, with reports this week indicating that a deal was close to being done. The Serie A champion would reportedly plan on signing Tessmann and then loaning him abroad for a season.

The source said that Inter remains heavily involved but that the landing spot for the U.S. men’s national team midfielder “is still open.”

Parma also remains in the mix to land Tessmann, a 22-year-old central midfielder who played 3,146 minutes (37 appearances) last year for Venezia in Serie B.

Tessmann tallied six goals and three assists in league play, adding a goal in the Serie B playoff semifinal that helped Venezia earn promotion to Italy’s top flight.

According to the source, Venezia is currently looking for a transfer fee between €7-8 million for the Alabama native.

Twice capped by the USMNT, Tessmann was announced this week as part of the roster for the Olympic team that will play in the Paris games starting this month.

At a Men In Blazers event in New York this week, Tessmann stayed mum when asked on stage about the rumors linking him to Inter.

“There’s no news that I can share today,” he said. “Just trying to focus on the Olympics, honestly.”

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USMNT Olympic prospect Tessmann reportedly close to Inter transfer

Tessmann could be on the brink of a huge transfer, with the Serie A champions talking to Venezia about a move

U.S. Olympic hopeful Tanner Tessmann may be on the brink of a massive summer transfer.

Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Serie A champions Inter have started transfer talks with Venezia over the 22-year-old.

Tessmann was virtually ever-present for the Venice-based club as it clinched promotion from Serie B this season, playing alongside fellow U.S. under-23 midfielder Gianluca Busio.

The Texas native scored seven times for Venezia, including a spectacular long-range strike against Palermo during the promotion playoffs.

Per the report, Inter and Venezia met on Wednesday, with discussions moving towards the Nerazzuri acquiring Tessmann and then loaning him back to the Venetians for the 2024-25 season.

Tessmann’s performance didn’t just catch Inter’s eye. Rumors have connected Bologna and Torino to interest in signing the box-to-box midfielder, while Venezia was said to be ready to offer a contract extension.

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Is Weston McKennie dating an Inter player’s sister?

There’s no confirmation yet, but there’s an awful lot of smoke

Weston McKennie has been in the headlines in Italy lately, which isn’t unusual for a key player at Juventus. But many stories about McKennie recently have had little to do with his ability to kick a soccer ball.

The Italian press, boosted by some obsessive social media sleuths, recently started noticing the Juventus midfielder exchanging likes on social media with Chiara Frattesi, a model and the sister of Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi.

The talk started to heat up earlier this month when Frattesi was spotted in the stands for Juventus’s match against Fiorentina. Frattesi has been known to frequent Inter games to support her brother, but what would bring her to a Juventus match? Did she simply want to see Max Allegri’s 3-5-2 system in action?

But then, more smoke: Frattesi posted a picture of herself with two dogs on Instagram that several astute observers pointed out looked an awful lot like McKennie’s dogs.

Finally this weekend, there was more. McKennie posted a picture of a Lego model of the Eiffel Tower on Instagram with the caption: “Finally finished.”

Minutes later, Frattesi posted a picture of the very same Eiffel Tower from a slightly different angle.

McKennie and Frattesi have not come out publicly with any confirmation that they are a couple, so for now, they can only be considered two people in one other’s orbit.

But they do seem to be orbiting pretty closely at present.

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Pulisic, Musah can do little as Inter beats AC Milan to clinch Serie A title

The USMNT pair was subdued as Inter clinched its 20th Serie A title

Inter clinched the Serie A championship in the most satisfying way possible, defeating arch-rival AC Milan 2-1 on Monday to lock up the title.

The destination of the Scudetto hasn’t been in doubt for months, as Simone Inzaghi’s side has enjoyed a commanding advantage atop the table for most of the season.

The Rossoneri at least wanted to prevent their rivals from clinching the title in the derby though, but could do little to slow down the Nerazzurri at the San Siro.

U.S. duo Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah both started the match for Milan in unfamiliar positions. Pulisic played wide left in the place of Rafael Leão, who started at striker. Musah, meanwhile, occupied Pulisic’s typical role out wide right.

Both had quiet games, especially Pulisic, who could hardly make an impact on the night as Inter’s league-best defense did well to bottle the American up.

Inter took the lead 18 minutes in after some disastrous Milan set-piece marking left Francesco Acerbi unmarked for a header on the doorstep.

The lead would be doubled minutes after the break, after a well-struck shot from Marcus Thuram beat Mike Maignan at his near post.

Fikayo Tomori gave Milan a lifeline with a close-range finish in the 80th minute, but the Rossoneri couldn’t find the second they needed to avoid watching their rivals kick off wild celebrations in front of their eyes.

The end of the match was marred by two separate clashes between the teams that resulted in a total of three red cards. Theo Hernández and Davide Calabria were sent off for Milan and Denzel Dumfries saw red for Inter.

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Inter sporting director confirms interest in Balogun

Arsenal reportedly values Balogun at around €58 million

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has confirmed his club is interested in Folarin Balogun, adding that the Arsenal man isn’t the only striker on the club’s list.

“We are looking for someone who can score goals,” Ausilio told Sport Mediaset on Tuesday.

When asked about Balogun, Ausilio replied: “He is one of the opportunities, but not the only one we are tracking.”

One name Ausilio was ready to rule out is Romelu Lukaku, who played for Inter last season on loan from Chelsea. Inter was reportedly interested in bringing Lukaku back this season but ended its pursuit upon learning he had been in talks with rival Juventus.

“I’m not interested,” Ausilio said when quizzed on the Belgian.

Inter has been widely reported to have an interest in U.S. national team striker Balogun, who scored 21 Ligue 1 goals on loan at Reims last season.

Monaco is aiming to bring Balogun back to Ligue 1 this season, with Arsenal turning down a bid from the principality side this week, according to ESPN. The Gunners reportedly value Balogun at around €58 million.

Balogun has said if he leaves Arsenal, he would prefer a permanent move ahead of another loan. Despite his standout loan campaign last season, the 22-year-old appears to be behind Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah on the club’s striker depth chart.

The striker was not in the squad for Sunday’s Community Shield win over Manchester City as he continues to battle a foot injury.

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Man City! Treble dreams complete with Champions League triumph

Man City made history in winning the Champions League

Manchester City has, at long last, claimed the elusive Champions League title.

Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Inter 1-0 on a second half strike from Rodri, before riding their luck as the Milanese side put their goal under siege late on.

Man City held on though, getting their hands on Europe’s biggest prize. The Champions League joins the Premier League and FA Cup in their trophy case, making Man City one of just 10 European clubs to ever manage a treble.

In truth though, Man City had been expected to dominate Saturday’s final over an Inter team that finished 18 points off the pace in Serie A. Instead, Simone Inzaghi and the Nerazzuri frustrated Man City for long spells, and then created chance after chance in the game’s final 20 minutes.

Here’s how a tense day in Istanbul played out.

Forbes ranks 20 most valuable soccer teams in the world

Valuations of the world’s biggest clubs are sky high

Who are the most valuable soccer teams in the world?

With success being more and more tied to an ability to spend, being a “big” club — at least in financial terms — is the clearest indicator of whether a given team is going to contend for trophies in the world’s top leagues.

That said, what defines value doesn’t necessarily require a team to be in the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, or Serie A. MLS has three teams in the top 20, including LAFC becoming the first club to break the $1 billion valuation barrier.

That said, Europe is still the home of the world’s biggest clubs, and its most valuable. In particular, eight of the top 20 hail from the Premier League, which will not be a particular surprise given the league’s global reach.

Here are Forbes’ 20 most valuable teams in global soccer.

Champions League final 2023: Kickoff time, teams, TV, streaming and more

Manchester City and Inter will face off in Istanbul for the European title

The UEFA Champions League final is on the horizon, with the biggest game in European men’s club soccer taking place in Istanbul this year.

Manchester City and Inter will square off in the showpiece, with City heavily favored to take home its first Champions League crown.

Inter has not been at its best domestically in 2022-23 but Simone Inzaghi’s side has been strong in the Champions League, advancing out of a group that also contained Bayern Munich and Barcelona before keeping clean sheets in five of its six knockout games so far.

City, meanwhile, has been typically dominant, with a +12 goal differential in six group-stage matches followed by a +14 mark in six knockout-round matches.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the Champions League final.

When is the Champions League final?

The 2022-23 Champions League final will kick off on Saturday, June 10 at 3 p.m. ET.

Champions League final on TV and streaming

In the United States, the Champions League final will be available to stream in English on Paramount+. Television information will be forthcoming.

Where is the Champions League final?

The 2022-23 Champions League final will take place at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Istanbul last hosted the Champions League final in 2005, when Liverpool famously defeated AC Milan on penalties after overcoming a three-goal halftime deficit to tie the match 3-3.

Who will play in the Champions League final?

For the first time since its treble-winning 2009-10 campaign, Inter has reached the Champions League final. The Milan side defeated Portuguese opposition in consecutive knockout rounds, getting past Porto and Benfica, before beating arch-rivals AC Milan in the semifinal.

The Nerazzurri will be major underdogs against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side, which is looking to finally win Europe’s biggest club competition for the first time.

City got past Bundesliga opposition in back-to-back knockout rounds, eliminating RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich before knocking out defending champion Real Madrid in the semifinal.

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Inter jumps all over AC Milan in Champions League semifinal first leg

Inter is in charge of the biggest Derby della Madonnina in 20 years

The Champions League version of the Derby della Madonnina was a dream for the blue half of Milan.

Inter scored two first-half goals to down AC Milan 2-0 in the first leg of their semifinal, with Edin Džeko and Henrikh Mkhitaryan turning their side’s early dominance into a significant edge at the San Siro.

“It feels very good, especially because it’s a derby. We played away on paper. It’s a great result for us,” Džeko told BT Sport after the match. “Sometimes you get in this difficult moment where the ball doesn’t want to go in. Patience and work always pays off. I was calm knowing the goals would come as always. Today is the proof.”

Playing what is technically their home leg in a stadium the two teams share, AC Milan’s misery began in the eighth minute, with Džeko conjuring up a thunderous volley on an Inter corner kick.

On the positive side for the Rossoneri? UEFA has ditched the away goals rule. However, the negatives cover just about everything else, as Inter’s high pressure appeared to catch them off-guard throughout the first half. With stars Rafael Leão and Zlatan Ibrahimovic watching from the stands, AC Milan offered little threat of a comeback.

Inter made their superiority count, going up 2-0 just three minutes later. Federico DiMarco burst into space on the left before cutting the ball across the top of the box for Lautaro Martínez. The World Cup winner dummied the ball on for Mkhitaryan, who finished the move off with a powerful shot.

Things could have been worse, with Martínez initially winning a first-half penalty kick only for VAR to overturn the initial decision. Later, Inter felt hard done by after Rade Krunić was shown on replay to possibly strike Alessandro Bastoni with a closed fist while defending a set piece. No call was made, and on this occasion VAR didn’t intervene.

This was the biggest Milan derby in 20 years, when these teams met at this exact stage of the 2002-03 Champions League. Back then, AC Milan benefitted from the away goals rule, going through despite a 1-1 aggregate scoreline because their goal came in Inter’s “home” leg.

Despite the chances that they can avenge that particular outcome being high at this point, Džeko rejected the idea that Inter would ease up in the second leg.

“We’re an experienced team. We know what we’ve done today,” said the Bosnia and Herzegovina striker. “Nothing is yet finished. In the Champions League only great teams arrive in the semi-finals, so we have to be careful and concentrate like today.”

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