Barcelona star agrees to sign for Juventus, Liverpool's €100m target hints at leaving Napoli and more Serie A transfer news: 8 April, 2019
Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.
Ivan Rakitic agrees to join Juventus
The Croatian midfielder has made a pact to sign for Juventus, according to a report. Rakitic's future at the Camp Nou has been threatened by the transfer of midfield wunderkind Frenkie de Jong, who will join the Catalans next season.
The 31-year-old has seen loads of competitions with other stars such as Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo even before Barcelona confirmed the arrival of De Jong. The Spanish champions are yet to offer a new contract to Rakitic.
It is understandable that Rakitic is now no longer indispensable for the Catalans, despite still playing a key role for the club. The report also states that Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde is not willing to part with the star and would be upset if the club decide to sell the player.
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Liverpool target hints at leaving Napoli
Liverpool-linked Lorenzo Insigne has given his stance about his future, with the Napoli star hinting that he could leave his current club if an "irrefusable" offer comes his way.
"I'm better and almost perfect, now Ancelotti decides. It is clear that my thoughts are to recover for the match against Arsenal in the Europa League," he said.
"Do I see myself with another shirt? Now, while we are talking about it, and more generally now, at this stage, I do not even think about it. But I know that maybe there may be someone around me who persuades me. But there are no teams, none that I am interested in. I have the duty to think, without being immodest, that in these years with Naples I have given some demonstration of what I can do.
"Did I choose Raiola to leave? None of this is true and you are free not to believe it. But I believe that Mino, with Jorge Mendes, is the strongest in circulation and that he represents an authority on the subject.
"But there is no conspiracy theory. As long as I stay here I will always give 110 per cent and here I want to stay there for a long time. I also know that I am twenty-eight years old and that it can happen, in my career, to find myself in front of an offer, that is to say, irrefusable. This can happen.
"My assessment? I have not the foggiest idea. To me, the market seems to have gone mad again and the price cannot be possibly assumed. And then it's also none of my business: I have to play, score, have fun."
There have been a lot of speculation surrounding the Italian, with European superpowers such as Manchester City, Liverpool and PSG said to be willing to splash the cash for the player. However, the report states that the star is valued at more than €100 million and Napoli have no intention of selling him.
Fiorentina to decide on manager's fate in 48 hours
Fiorentina's hierarchy will meet in the next 48 hours to analyse the club's current situation, according to a statement from the Serie A outfit.
Fiorentina, who are currently 10th in the league table, lost 1-0 to a relegation-threatened Frosinone side on Sunday.
The Florence-based outfit are winless in their last eight outings in all competitions, losing thrice and drawing five times.
“Following the serious defeat with Frosinone, the owners and directors of Fiorentina will reunite over the next 48 hours with the objective of analysing with clear heads the situation and identifying the measures to guarantee effort and hopefully results from the team for the final weeks of the season.
“We want to see the strong and promising team that we viewed so many times during the season,” the club stated.
It is understandable that the future of Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli would be assessed in the meeting, following a series of abysmal results.