Jose Mourinho revealed he would welcome Italy striker Andrea Belotti to Roma with open arms, as he outlined his desire to keep Nicolo Zaniolo at the Stadio Olimpico.

Belotti, a free agent since leaving Torino when his contract expired at the end of June, has been strongly linked with a move to Roma after scoring eight Serie A goals last season.

The 2021-22 campaign was the first in which Belotti had failed to hit double figures in the Italian top-flight since 2014-15, and reports have suggested he could arrive to provide competition for Giallorossi forwards Tammy Abraham and Paulo Dybala.

Asked ahead of Monday's game against Cremonese whether Roma would be signing another attacker, Mourinho said: "I do not answer, because the director Tiago Pinto already knows.

"I just have to wait with the hope that it can be done. If it cannot be done, we will go on with what we have.

"If Belotti were a player of Torino or of another team I would not answer. Being released, I do not have the ethical block of not saying anything, I can say something.

"If it is true, I repeat if it is true, that he wants so much to come to Roma, I would be happy to hear this kind of feeling. If he doesn't come, I don't know, let's wait and see."

While Belotti could join the likes of Dybala, Georginio Wijnaldum and Nemanja Matic in making the move to Roma, fellow forward Zaniolo has been tipped to leave throughout the transfer window.

Zaniolo scored the winner when Roma ended a 14-year trophy drought by winning the Europa Conference League in May but has been linked with Juventus.

Mourinho views the 23-year-old as a key player, adding: "He is doing very well. Physically he seems agile and fresh.

"If he stays here, it is a question for the director and not for me. If you ask me if I would like him to stay, I do not hide it and I say yes. He is important for us."

Adrien Rabiot will play for Juventus at Sampdoria on Monday, just days after his move to Manchester United collapsed, manager Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed.

The Bianconeri boss has also not ruled out further arrivals before the transfer window shuts, after a busy off-season for the Serie A heavyweights.

Rabiot looked set to bring the curtain down on his time in Turin with a move to the Premier League earlier this month, with new United boss Erik ten Hag looking to bolster his ranks after a slow start to the new campaign.

But despite the two clubs agreeing a fee, it was reported that the deal fell through when terms could not be successfully brokered with the player.

It means Rabiot looks destined to remain at Allianz Stadium for another season - and now Allegri has confirmed the France international will feature in Monday's clash with Sampdoria.

"Rabiot will play tomorrow," he stated. "On the transfer market, [with] players, it is normal that there are chances that they can leave and that the club will ask if the player is available."

Having scraped their way to Champions League football again last term, Allegri has strengthened with the recruitment of Angel Di Maria, Filip Kostic, Bremer and Paul Pogba in the transfer window, the latter returning from United.

But the Frenchman's injury record will see him miss the first few weeks of the season, and his boss is keeping his powder dry when it comes to further additions.

"Regardless of the transfer market, we must do our best with the squad we have available," he added. "We are doing a lot these months. without being distracted."

Juventus and Milan target Domenico Berardi has signed a new contract with Sassuolo that will keep him at the club until 2027.

Berardi impressed again for Sassuolo in the 2021-22 season, scoring 15 times in Serie A – the third consecutive campaign the forward has posted double figures in the league.

He also recorded the most assists in the Italian top flight (14) and was the only Serie A forward to manage double figures for both goals and assists.

The 28-year-old has been at Sassuolo his entire career, but there had been suggestions recently that he could be tempted by a new challenge.

He was linked to Juventus, who co-owned him between 2013 and 2015, while Liverpool and Milan were also among those reportedly interested in the Italy international.

However, it was announced on Wednesday that he had pledged his future to the club for a further five years.

Berardi was in the headlines for the wrong reasons last week after he was involved in a heated spat with a Modena fan.

Sassuolo were eliminated from the Coppa Italia by their Serie B hosts at Stadio Alberto Braglia, with their loss followed by Berardi apparently chasing an opposing supporter outside the ground.

The footage went viral, but Berardi took to social media to offer an explanation, suggesting his family had been targeted off the pitch to spark his ire.

David de Gea is not a new problem for Manchester United. Of course, his backers – and that appears to include many people at the club – will always point to his shot-stopping ability, which has clearly been a strength over the course of his career in England.

We can't forget that legendary performance against Arsenal in a 3-1 away win for United in the 2017-18 season, when De Gea equalled a Premier League record by making 14 saves.

But if that kind of goalkeeper becomes less reliable at arguably the one thing they're good at, questions have to be asked. De Gea was, of course, culpable in United's 4-0 humiliation by Brentford on Saturday.

He let Josh Dasilva's tame long-range effort sneak into the bottom-right corner, and that opened the floodgates on what was one of United's worst days in Premier League history.

But that wasn't all. His needless pass to Christian Eriksen when the Dane was under pressure brought the second goal and further highlighted something De Gea's detractors have started to mention frequently in the past few years: he's not good enough with the ball to be relied upon in a team that wants to build from the back.

That's the style of play Erik ten Hag wants to impose, yet De Gea appears to be far from the ideal candidate. Granted, the need to make saves will always be important for a goalkeeper, and the Spaniard's record of 2.8 goals prevented last season was second only to Jose Sa (8.5) in the Premier League.

But goalkeepers have become more and more important in the implementation of possession-based football over the past decade, and the longer you have the ball, the fewer opportunities the opponent has to score – for example, the three teams with the greatest shares of possession last term also faced the fewest shots.

So, if De Gea – who last season only completed 69 per cent of his passes – is not suitable, which goalkeepers are? Stats Perform takes a look at the Opta data of the more realistic potential targets...

KEYLOR NAVAS

If United were able to sign Navas, there's lots to suggest it would be a very shrewd acquisition.

Although the Costa Rican is 35, stylistically the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper does appear to be a good fit for a team that wants to build from the back.

Over the past three seasons, Navas' 89.9 per cent pass completion rate last term is the highest by any goalkeeper (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in a single campaign across the top five leagues. He posted that figure as he and Gianluigi Donnarumma tussled for the starting role.

The season before he found a team-mate with 85.7 per cent of his passes, while in both campaigns he showed he was dependable when facing shots, recording 80.4 and 76.9 save percentages respectively – the former was the best such record of any keeper (min. 1,000 minutes played) over the past three campaigns.

When you consider PSG are seemingly willing to sell, with a move to Napoli apparently in the works, this could be a wonderful opportunity for United.

MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN

This might seem a slightly unrealistic option initially, but Ter Stegen certainly shouldn't be seen as unattainable.

While Ter Stegen has rarely been suggested as a likely option for Barcelona to raise funds, he does still retain reasonable value and his sale would ease salary limit concerns – let's not forget, the Frenkie de Jong saga may be murky, but the Blaugrana need money.

As for his suitability to Ten Hag's brand of football, Ter Stegen's essentially been playing that way throughout his time at Barcelona. In each of the past three seasons, he has recorded a pass completion percentage of over 85 per cent – no other goalkeeper across the big five leagues can match that.

The concern, however, is his shot-stopping capabilities. In the three seasons mentioned he has, Opta data says, conceded more goals than the average goalkeeper would have expected to based on the quality of chances faced, and his save percentage figures for the three campaigns (68.8, 69 and 70.4) aren't much better than the average for the keepers in question (67.4 per cent).

WOJCIECH SZCZESNY

Poland international Szczesny may not be remembered especially fondly in the Premier League as he failed to live up to early promise at Arsenal.

But in Serie A he's carved out a fine career for himself. First, he kept Alisson out of the Roma team, and then he went on to become Juventus' chosen one to replace Gianluigi Buffon.

He isn't perfect, but again he is a goalkeeper with decent passing stats. His accuracy (79.4 per cent) last season was, admittedly, his worst record out of the past three campaigns, but in 2020-21 he was at 89.1.

Szczesny's save percentages over the period in question range from 68 to 74.4, which are reasonable without being spectacular, though he prevented 5.1 goals in 2019-20 and 2.3 last term. Both are fine records.

ILLAN MESLIER

Obviously, a goalkeeper's statistics are very often a reflection of the team they play in and the players around them. Just because a keeper has an excellent passing accuracy in one side doesn't mean they will in another, or vice versa.

Meslier is a keeper United are said to have been long-term admirers of, and in the data search that identified Navas, Szczesny and Ter Stegen as suitable, the Frenchman is one of precious few under the age of 23 who could fit the bill long term.

The 22-year-old hasn't played behind an especially effective defence since coming into the Premier League with Leeds United, but in the 2020-21 season he recorded a 72.6 save percentage and a reasonable passing accuracy of 77.1 per cent.

Granted, both were significantly poorer in 2021-22 and he endured a disappointing season individually – letting in 15.8 goals more than expected, the fifth-worst in Europe's top league – that will have raised some doubts, but he has shown potential in a Leeds team that is known for being chaotic.

He'd be a gamble, but at this point it could be argued United need as much change as possible.

Juventus playmaker Angel Di Maria faces at least 10 days out of action after suffering an adductor injury in the 3-0 victory over Sassuolo.

The Argentina international made his debut for the Serie A giants and opened the scoring before providing an assist for Dusan Vlahovic's second goal of the night – after the forward made it 2-0 from the penalty spot.

Concern for Di Maria arose in the second period, however, as the former Paris Saint-Germain man was forced off through injury.

Juventus have now announced Di Maria's situation will be reviewed in 10 days' time, meaning he must miss next Monday's clash against Sampdoria.

A club statement read: "Angel Di Maria underwent radiological examinations this morning ... which revealed a low-grade lesion of the adductor longus muscle of the left thigh. The extent of the injury will be re-evaluated in 10 days."

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri stated after the final whistle that he was not worried about the potential setback for his recruit.

Allegri told DAZN: "Unfortunately, these things happen in football. He had this adductor issue a week ago too. Perhaps I should've taken him off when we were 3-0 up, but he was enjoying himself out there."

Alvaro Morata's agent has not ruled out a move for the in-form Atletico Madrid star but declared "at the moment I say that he stays".

The Spain international scored twice as Atleti started the LaLiga season with a 3-0 win at Getafe on the back of a hat-trick in a 4-0 friendly rout of his former club Juventus.

Morata has been linked with Manchester United and a return to Juve, where he was on loan for the past two campaigns.

The 29-year-old's representative, Juanma Lopez, says the ex-Real Madrid forward will remain with Diego Simeone's side as it stands, but suggested he could depart before the transfer window closes on September 1. 

He told Chiringuito: "At the moment I say that he stays at Atletico Madrid, we are in August. Will he stay? Yes, he has a contract with Atletico."

Simeone was unable to give any assurances over Morata's future following the victory over Getafe.

"I am not the owner of the club, I am the coach," the Atleti boss said. "He is doing very well, working in an extraordinary way, and we hope that Morata will continue with us.

"I think that all footballers have to have confidence to do important things. He came with humility, desire to work, without demanding anything, striving to get to this shape and that is what we want to see."

Manchester United have come in for huge criticism following their poor start to the season.

United have failed to land major off-season transfer targets and are eager to add reinforcements.

The start of Erik ten Hag's tenure as manager has been hugely disappointing, with back-to-back Premier League defeats.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD TURN TO VARDY TO SOLVE STRIKER ISSUES

Manchester United are considering a bid for Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy to solve their striker conundrum, claims The Athletic.

The Red Devils have endured a frustrating transfer window and have only netted once in their opening two league games.

Vardy is among a number of targets United are keen on, having also been linked with Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to The Sun.

ROUND-UP

– TalkSPORT claims Manchester United are getting close to a €50million (£42m) deal for Atletico Madrid's Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha. The 23-year-old joined Atletico from Hertha Berlin last year on a five-year deal.

– Chelsea are closing in on a deal for Inter's Cesare Casadei, according to Calciomercato. Inter have set their asking price at €15m (£12.5m) plus €5m in bonuses, which the Blues are edging closer to meet. The deal may aid Romelu Lukaku sealing a permanent switch to the Nerazzurri.

– Talks are ongoing between Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus on agreeing a move for Leandro Paredes, reports Fabrizio Romano. Personal terms have been agreed between the Argentinian and the Bianconeri on a long-term deal.

– Wolves will sign Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes for a club-record fee of €45m (£38m) plus €5m in add-ons from Sporting CP, according to Record. Liverpool, West Ham and Manchester City had been tracking Nunes.

– Diario Sport claims Barcelona may be willing to let Samuel Umtiti exit as a free agent amid interest from various unnamed clubs. Umtiti, who is contracted at Camp Nou until 2026, has struggled with injuries during his time at the Blaugrana.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri has insisted he is "not worried" about Angel Di Maria after the Argentine limped off against Sassuolo.

Di Maria opened the scoring on his debut and provided an assist for Dusan Vlahovic in the 3-0 triumph, where the striker also won and converted a penalty.

After a slow start, it was largely plain sailing for Juventus after Di Maria's debut goal, but concern was raised after the former Paris Saint-Germain ace limped off in the second half with a suspected adductor injury.

Juventus also saw Denis Zakaria pick up an injury during the match, but Allegri insisted that he was not concerned about the prospective setbacks.

"I am not worried. We'll see what the tests say tomorrow," he told DAZN.

"Unfortunately, these things happen in football. He had this adductor issue a week ago too, perhaps I should've taken him off when we were 3-0 up, but he was enjoying himself out there. 

"Zakaria just had a cramp, nothing more. The important thing is that we won a game that we really wanted to win, which was by no means simple."

Juventus' may make further additions before the close of the transfer window on September 1, with Di Maria's compatriot and former PSG teammate Leandro Paredes heavily touted to make a move to Turin.

The midfielder was shown on social media to be following the game but Allegri played down the significance.

"They are friends, both from Argentina, so that's natural. I don't know if they can play together, I have to work with the players at my disposal," he added.

"The club has done well, we lost important players and brought in good replacements."

Dusan Vlahovic expressed his delight at the opportunity to play with Angel Di Maria, as the two combined to inspire Juventus to a 3-0 win against Sassuolo.

The former Paris Saint-Germain star opened the deadlock with a bouncing volley and teed up Vlahovic in the second half, which came either side of the Serbian winning and converting a penalty.

Sterner tests will await for Juventus this season, particularly when their Champions League campaign begins next month, but the performance from the two attackers will provide encouragement after last season's frustrations.

Di Maria's creativity is likely to add further opportunities for Vlahovic to extend his excellent record for Juventus, and he took the opportunity after the win to praise his new teammate.

"It's an incredible sensation to play with Di Maria, it's so pleasing to work with such champions and I thank him for the assist. He had an extraordinary game," he told DAZN.

Di Maria was not the only debutant to feature, with Bremer also starting and Filip Kostic introduced off the bench in the second half, with Vlahovic clear there is more to come from the side.

Dusan Vlahovic struck a brace to help Juventus to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sassuolo in the opening match of their Serie A campaign on Monday.

The Serbian forward struck five minutes either side of the interval to put the Bianconeri in control after Angel Di Maria marked his Juve debut with a maiden goal at the Allianz Stadium.

Massimiliano Allegri's side were not at their best in possession but made their chances count, with their attacking contingent laying down a marker to their rivals.

A shaky start from the hosts provided Sassuolo with encouragement and called Mattia Perin, in for the injured Wojciech Szczesny, into action to deny Gregoire Defrel on two occasions.

Juventus soon found some rhythm and made the breakthrough when Di Maria met Alex Sandro's cross by bouncing a volleyed effort over the head of Andrea Consigli.

Five minutes before the break, Vlahovic bullied Gian Marco Ferrari to win the hosts a penalty and stepped-up to confidently smash home from the spot to open his account for the season.

Sassuolo were the architects of their own downfall following the restart, Kaan Ayhan giving the ball away to Di Maria who fed in Vlahovic to double his tally and continue in the vein that saw him star last term.

Juventus took their foot off the gas in the remainder of the half to ease out a win, with Filip Kostic introduced for the final half hour in a comfortable debut environment.

Massimiliano Allegri says it is "useless" to discuss the transfer market as Juventus prepare to start the Serie A season against Sassuolo on Monday.

Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Gleison Bremer and Filip Kostic have arrived at Juve during the transfer window, while Leandro Paredes and Memphis Depay have also been linked with moves to Turin.

Juve midfielder Adrien Rabiot is reportedly a target for Manchester United and on Sunday, Allegri suggested Arthur – who is sidelined with an ankle injury – could also move on.

But the Bianconeri coach is determined to avoid being distracted by transfer talk ahead of the clash with Sassuolo at the Allianz Stadium.

He said: "It is useless to talk about the transfer market, the club thinks about it. Players who left have been replaced, we must think about tomorrow's match.

"Sassuolo are coming from a bad defeat in the Coppa Italia [3-2 against Modena], but they have taken on important players like [Andrea] Pinamonti."

Meanwhile, Allegri believes suffering a 4-0 friendly thrashing against Atletico Madrid could be a blessing in disguise for Juve as they attempt to mount a title challenge.

He said: "We had three important friendlies, the last one ended badly and we had worked a lot during the week. The defeat did us good to make us raise our antennas, I have heard too many triumphalisms around.

"Juventus has the duty to try to win, the competitors have strengthened. There are four or five suitors [for the Scudetto] and we are among them. We have to work in silence, improve the team from all points of view.

"I think it is a job that we are doing every day, the club has been very good at replacing those who left. Let's think about the championship before the market closes, three at home and one away.

"We will have to suffer, like in all games. It has always been the strength of winning teams, respect the opponent. We need to do well when we have the ball and improve without the ball."

Allegri added he is yet to decide whether new winger Kostic will start on Monday following his move from Eintracht Frankfurt.

"Kostic is a player who crosses very well, he has arrived for two days and among other things he has been back and forth," Allegri said. "I still have to decide between him, [Weston] McKennie and [Juan] Cuadrado."

Rabiot and striker Moise Kean are not available for Juve's season-opener due to suspension, as the Bianconeri bid to improve on successive fourth-placed Serie A finishes.

Christophe Galtier revealed Leandro Paredes is in demand and gave a strong indication he could leave Paris Saint-Germain before the transfer window closes.

Paredes is reported to have agreed terms with Juventus and a move is expected to go through if Adrien Rabiot joins Manchester United.

The Argentina midfielder has been frustrated by a lack of playing time at PSG, who he joined from Zenit in 2019.

Paredes replaced Vitinha for the final 20 minutes of the champions' 5-2 Ligue 1 thrashing of Montpellier on Saturday, but Galtier is unsure whether he will still be at the club when the transfer window closes on September 1.

The PSG head coach said in a press conference: "The situation Paredes is very different from Mauro Icardi's.

"Leandro has many requests and I don't know what will happen between now and the end of the transfer market. I know he wants to play, but he has a calm mood."

Galtier has strengthened his midfield with the signings of Vitinha and Renato Sanches, keeping Paredes down the pecking order.

The 28-year-old only started 15 games for PSG last season.

Matthijs de Ligt insists he did not "attack" Juventus when pointing out the club had underperformed, although he feels he will be better suited to playing for Bayern Munich.

De Ligt left Juve for Bayern ahead of the 2022-23 season, having widely been seen as failing to fulfil his potential in three years in Turin.

The Netherlands centre-back was outstanding in Ajax's run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals, earning a move to Juve, where he faced a battle for his place.

De Ligt started fewer than 30 Serie A matches in each of his three seasons with the Bianconeri.

There was some backlash then when De Ligt, discussing the possibility of a transfer in June, criticised Juve's back-to-back fourth-placed finishes.

Speaking to De Telegraaf on Saturday, De Ligt explained: "In an interview with NOS in June, I said that – as the club itself thinks – to be fourth tw‪ice in a row with Juventus is not good enough.

"That was not an attack on Juventus. Not at all, because I will always have the utmost respect for this club.

"For me, it was just a fact that no one could be satisfied, that the bar had to be raised, including for me. Maybe it came across incorrectly."

De Ligt added he would "never forget" the help he received from his Juve team-mates in his "development as a footballer and as a person".

However, he likened the style of play in Serie A to chess, saying it is "much more tactical".

Now, De Ligt believes both he and Louis van Gaal's Netherlands team can benefit from his move to Bayern, where the approach is more in line with that he learned at Ajax.

"I am very happy that I was able to experience that [at Juve], that I was able to play that way, because I have learned a lot," he said.

"The reason for going to Juventus was also to become a better defender, even though there were differences with the Dutch national team.

"At Juventus, I often had to stay in the position, while at certain times I was required to go [forward] with the Oranje.

"At Bayern, I want to get my Ajax game back again.

"[Bayern coach Julian] Nagelsmann's playing style is much closer to what Louis van Gaal asks of his defenders: defending high, putting high pressure, connecting well and playing forward a lot.

"I think it's a move that can be good for the Dutch national team and my chances, but I did discuss the transfer with [Van Gaal]. He said he had a great time here."

Manchester United's transfer market activity appears to be getting increasingly desperate.

The English giants have added only Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez to their first team in this window.

United have been linked with a host of other players but missed out, including Benjamin Sesko, while no deal has transpired despite their attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD BOSS TEN HAG KEEN ON ZIYECH

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has identified Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech as a target, according to the Manchester Evening News.

However, United's hierarchy are not convinced and have offered resistance to the Dutchman's plans to sign the Moroccan, whom he worked with previously at Ajax.

United have been priced out of their move for Ajax's Antony, and Ten Hag views Ziyech as a good alternative.

ROUND-UP

– SPORT1 claims Bayern Munich will attempt to bring Kai Havertz to the club from Chelsea. The Germany international, who moved to Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen two years ago, is seen as someone who can offset Robert Lewandowski's departure.

– Juventus are still keen on Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Bianconeri are ready to swoop once Adrien Rabiot's move to Manchester United is sealed.

– The Athletic reports Newcastle United may target Chelsea's United States international Christian Pulisic.

– West Ham have entered the race for Barcelona's Memphis Depay, submitting a "big-money" offer to the Blaugrana, according to Football Insider.

Eintracht Frankfurt have signed Italy international left-back Luca Pellegrini from Juventus on a season-long loan.

The Rome-born 23-year-old, who has one Italy cap from 2020, debuted for Juventus last season, going on to make 21 appearances in all competitions.

Pellegrini's move coincides with left wing-back Filip Kostic's arrival at the Bianconeri from Eintracht this week.

The former Italy youth international, who was loaned out to Cagliari and Genoa in 2019 and 2020 respectively, would also have faced competition for the left-back role with Alex Sandro.

Europa League winners Eintracht have made a raft of personnel changes this off-season in preparation for their participation in the Champions League.

Jens Petter Hauge, Lucas Alario, Hrvoje Smolcic, Kristijan Jakic and Mario Gotze are among their new signings.