Lionel Messi wants 2 Juventus targets sold after Copa del Rey loss, Real Madrid table world record bid for Serie A superstar and more, 27 May 2019
Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As we head even closer to the summer transfer market, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.
Gennaro Gattuso unsure over his AC Milan future
The Italian manager has been subjected to plenty of criticism due to several abysmal displays as AC Milan missed out on a Champions League spot, despite a final day win against SPAL. Both Inter and Atalanta also won on the final, prolonging the Rossoneri's wait for a Champions League spot.
Now, Gattuso has revealed that he is unsure over his future at the San Siro.
"In the last few minutes I thanked the team and also the club did too. We secured 68 points, there is regret and it hurts. We did a good job, with some graft. We can have hold our heads high because we are still very young. It seems little, what we have done, but in reality it is a lot: I'm not to take credit, that is to go to the players.
"My season? I think that coaches should be judged by experts and by the club: these days we will meet and listen to what they have to say to me. We did something good, I made mistakes but all the coaches make them. All in all it was a very positive season: I repeat, with all the problems we had, in these 18 months, we did a good job. Sorry to have lost points in the last few months, but the work is still good: but I don't have to tell the club these things, they have to pronounce themselves experts.
"Decreases in concentration during the season? It is not just a matter of one department, we were often too crushed and sometimes we did not go well or there was a missed opportunity, on other occasions we played the ball badly in midfield and we lost the ball too much. However, I am happy with the growth of my players, they have played with quality and can still improve next year.
"There will still be Juventus, I feel too much responsibility in this club, I spend too much time here and I felt more pressure than I should have felt. In the last few months I slept little, I am in pieces mentally.
"A game to play again? No, you don't get to go back. Instead we look at some wrong behaviors, like in the derby, sometimes we didn't give consistency to what we did and we also lost our soul. It is no coincidence that after that blow we won very few points, the biggest mistake was to have thought too much about certain attitudes," he said.
Real Madrid table world record bid for Koulibaly
The Senegalese superstar has been one of the hottest prospects at the transfer market recently. Bought for just €10 million in 2014, Koulibaly quickly cemented a place as one of Europe's best center-backs. He recently won the Serie A best defender award and has seen his price skyrocket to more than €100 million.
Manchester United and Real Madrid are said to be the frontrunners for his service. The Los Blancos even have tabled massive £80 million bid for the Napoli player, according to a report from Corriere Dello Sport, via Teamtalk. Koulibaly will become the world's most expensive defender if the transfer materializes, eclipsing Virgil van Dijk's record.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has stated that the 27-years-old is worth no less than €150 million. However, Napoli seem reluctant to let their best center back go and are ready to reject all incoming offers. Koulibaly also has €150 million release clause at his contract, but the clause can only be triggered in 2021.
The former Genk defender featured in nearly all of Napoli's Serie A matches, scoring 2 goals and recorded 2 assists in the process.
Lionel Messi wants Rakitic and Coutinho sold after Copa humiliation
Barcelona have endured another embarrassing cup exit following their 2-1 defeat to Valencia in the Copa del Rey final. The Catalan's weak defense allowed Valencia to score two goals before half time. Messi was once again becoming Barcelona's best performer on the pitch, but the Argentinian's goal was not enough to save his team.
The 31 years old is reportedly very angry over Barcelona's Copa elimination to a point where he wants several of his underperforming teammates sold. In particular, Messi wants his club to dump Ivan Rakitić and Philippe Coutinho. Juventus have targeted both Rakitic and Coutinho for some time.
Rakitic has been Ernesto Valverde's favourite to fill the midfield throughout this campaign, but the Croatian was abysmal in the Champions League semifinal against Liverpool. He also failed to make an impact in the Valencia game and was substituted at the 76th minute.
Coutinho, on the other hand, has seen his situation worsen as Valverde regularly benched him during the 2018/19 campaign.