Italy great Fabio Cannavaro has suggested former club Napoli should attempt to sign Paulo Dybala, while making a "sacrifice" to renew Kalidou Koulibaly's contract.

Dybala appears set to join Inter when his Juventus contract expires at the end of June, with Romelu Lukaku also reportedly close to joining Simone Inzaghi's side on loan.

Napoli supporters have grown frustrated with president Aurelio De Laurentiis, with the Partenopei said to be looking to reduce their wage bill, leaving the future of Dries Mertens and Koulibaly in doubt.

Lorenzo Insigne has already left for MLS side Toronto and Cannavaro, who started his career in Naples, urged Napoli to move for Dybala.

"If I were in De Laurentiis I would make a proposal to Dybala," the World Cup winner told Corriere dello Sport.

While Napoli are unlikely to be able to acquire the Argentina international, Cannavaro also says they must do all in their power to keep Koulibaly.

Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United are reportedly interested in the centre-back, whose contract is set to expire in June 2023.

De Laurentiis conceded earlier in May that the Senegal international could not be forced into staying after Koulibaly had stated "we'll see what happens at the end of the season".

"Kalidou represents a pillar of a team that in recent years has always been lucky enough to be able to count on him: if I were in the club I would make a sacrifice to keep him, to renew," Cannavaro added. 

"Maybe he has demands that some other club could satisfy, but it is difficult to find players like him in that role: we must keep them close. 

"There is a shortage [of such players], you can find a midfielder or a forward."

Luciano Spalletti will be keen to keep Koulibaly after Napoli conceded the joint-fewest goals in Serie A (31) and kept the second-most clean sheets (16 – behind Milan, 18) in the 2021-22 campaign.

Milan will start their Serie A title defence at home to Udinese, while Inter's attempts to reclaim the Scudetto will begin at newly promoted Lecce.

Stefano Pioli's side edged out Inter for the championship in the 2021-22 campaign, their first Scudetto in 11 years, and will again face stern competition from Juventus, Napoli and Simone Inzaghi's side next season.

Milan visit Atalanta on the second matchday, with the first Derby di Milano between Pioli's side and Inter coming on September 4, when Lazio host Napoli.

Dusan Vlahovic will return to Fiorentina with Juventus on the same weekend, while Milan host Napoli and Massimiliano Allegri's side in the space of two weeks between matchday seven and nine.

The first Derby di Roma will see Jose Mourinho's side host Lazio on matchday 13, with the return meeting scheduled for matchday 27.

Inter will meet Milan for their second clash in week 21, while Serie A will take a break between November 13 and January 4, owing to the World Cup in Qatar.

The weekend of May 7 could be influential in the title race, with Atalanta hosting Juventus, Lazio visiting Milan, Inter travelling to Roma and Napoli playing at home to Fiorentina.

Milan lifted the Scudetto on the final matchday in 2022 and should it go all the way again, Pioli's men host Hellas Verona, while Inter make the trip to Torino and Juventus are away at Udinese.

Having finishing 15 points behind champions Real Madrid in LaLiga season, Atletico Madrid are in a bit of a rebuilding process.

While Hector Herrera, Luis Suarez and Sime Vrsaljko head for the exit, Saul Niguez and Alvaro Morata return from loans, with Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel potentially also signing on a free transfer.

Reports suggest that Atleti are also particularly keen on keeping one of Witsel's international team-mates.

TOP STORY – ATLETI TO WARD OFF CARRASCO INTEREST

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is unwilling to let go of Yannick Carrasco amid growing interest from Premier League clubs, according to Diario AS.

Although Carrasco's contract expires in 2024, his reported release clause of €60million reportedly makes him an attractive prospect to the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Simeone has apparently ordered the club to not field any offers for the 28-year-old, who he considers fundamental to his future plans.

Though the player is reportedly happy at the Wanda Metropolitano, offers from elsewhere could potentially play a role in any contract negotiations.

ROUND-UP

– Cristiano Ronaldo is considering a departure from Manchester United in response to a lack of recent transfer activity under Erik ten Hag, Record reports.

– Barcelona have finally made a bid for Robert Lewandowski, with an opening offer to Bayern Munich of €40m, according to the Telegraph.

– The same publication is also reporting that, with one year remaining on his contract, France international Adrien Rabiot has requested a transfer from Juventus to the Premier League.

– Milan are considering making an offer for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, per TuttomercatoWeb.

Matthijs de Ligt should be allowed to leave Juventus if the right offer is made, according to club legend Ciro Ferrara.

The Netherlands international is under contract at the Allianz Stadium until June 2024, but is yet to agree an extension with the Bianconeri.

Chelsea have been linked with a move for the 22-year-old, who has a release clause of €125million.

De Ligt has been a regular in the heart of the Juve defence since arriving from Ajax for €85.5million in 2019.

The centre-half has racked up 117 appearances across all competitions, scoring eight goals, and winning the Serie A title during his maiden season with the Old Lady.

Ferrara, who won five Scudettos and the Champions League with Juve between 1994 and 2005, acknowledged De Ligt's importance, but insists the club should not stand in his way.

The former defender told Tutti Convocati: "We have to understand if De Ligt has the right motivation.

"He is an important figure in the defence. But if he wants to leave, then Juve will not hold him against his will."

It is fair to say that Paul Pogba's time at Manchester United has been somewhat polarising.

The France midfielder ultimately struggled to consistently provide the football that made him such a sought-after player in Italy with Juventus, before his big-money move back to United in 2016.

Reports suggest with his contract at Old Trafford expiring at the end of the month, Pogba will be heading back to the Serie A giants to try and revive his reputation.

TOP STORY – POGBA SET FOR JUVENTUS RETURN

Paul Pogba is set have his wish granted and will return to Juventus, according to Fabrizio Romano.

With his contract expiring at Manchester United, his wage demands could only realistically be met by a select number of clubs in Europe.

Pogba had reportedly only wanted to return to Italy with the Bianconeri, where he left a four-time Serie A and two-time Coppa Italia winner in 2016.

The 29-year-old's agent will meet with Juve representatives on Thursday, with a medical to be completed at the beginning of July when his contract at Old Trafford officially ends.

ROUND-UP

– Ajax are set to make another offer for Steven Bergwijn meanwhile, with Tottenham not accepting offers below £25million (€29m), per Sky Sports.

– Barcelona boss Xavi is hopeful Ousmane Dembele will sign a new contract to ward off Chelsea interest, Goal reports.

– Goal also report that winger Antony is determined to join Manchester United from Ajax.

– Leeds United have valued Brazil international Raphinha at £65m (€75.3m) amid interest from Tottenham, Chelsea and Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Hakan Calhanoglu believes Inter are a stronger team than Milan despite the latter's Scudetto success, while he questioned the behaviour of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

Calhanoglu watched on as Inter lifted the Serie A title in the 2020-21 season, when he was playing for fierce rivals Milan. 

The Turkey international switched city allegiances by joining Inter for the following campaign, which finished with Milan winning the Scudetto and ending a 1,976-day wait for a trophy. 

That also marked the first time that Inter and Milan finished in Serie A's top two in consecutive seasons, but Calhanoglu says Simone Inzaghi's side are far stronger than their neighbours. 

"Inter are a much stronger team than Milan. We lost a derby that suddenly changed in the 75th minute after [Ivan] Perisic and I were substituted," the midfielder told Tivibu Spor.  

"We were leading 1-0, then we lost 2-1. The coach [Inzaghi] also contributed to that defeat, I told him. In the cup, however, we beat them 3-0. The team is very ambitious." 

Ibrahimovic could be seen smoking a cigar at Milan's title celebrations, where he took the microphone and told supporters: "Hey, send a message to Hakan." 

Calhanoglu insists he would not have behaved like Ibrahimovic, questioning his actions at 40 years old. 

"He's a 40-year-old man, I wouldn't do a thing like that if I was that age. He's not 18. He likes to be the centre of attention," he added.  

"This year he didn't contribute to the Scudetto, he hardly ever played. But he does everything to attract the attention of the fans. 

"I don't care at all. It's not right because he's someone who always calls me when I'm in Milan, who wants to go out for dinner and ride a motorcycle with me. 

"I respected him. He also wrote about me in his book, he had to write these things or his book would be empty. I won't answer him, it's better not to answer." 

Juventus and Milan target Domenico Berardi has suggested he is ready to leave Sassuolo.

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 striker to manage double figures for both goals and assists.

The 27-year-old has been at Sassuolo his entire career, but with two years left on his contract there have been growing suggestions he could soon move on.

Sassuolo chief executive Giovanni Carnevali hailed Berardi as a "champion", but revealed last April he may leave if the club receive an offer that is too good to refuse.

Berardi has been linked to Juventus, who co-owned him between 2013 and 2015, while Liverpool and Milan have also been among those reportedly interested in the Italy international.

The Sassuolo attacker has expressed his love for the city of Modena, but acknowledged he would be ready to depart after 10 years with the club.

Asked by magazine Chi whether he would be leave, Berardi responded: "I like living in Modena. I have lived here for 11 years but I have reached a point at which I would suffer less from change.

"That is thanks to my wife and my son, with them I would feel at home in any city."

Romelu Lukaku must rediscover the form that fired Inter to the Scudetto in 2021 should he return to the Nerazzurri, former Italy striker Christian Vieri has said.

Lukaku scored 24 goals under the stewardship of Antonio Conte as Inter lifted the Serie A title in the 2020-21 campaign, before returning to Chelsea for a club-record £97.5million fee.

The Belgium international struggled on his Stamford Bridge return, scoring just eight times in 26 Premier League appearances.

Lukaku is widely expected to head back to Inter on loan less than a year after leaving, as Simone Inzaghi looks to assemble his side to reclaim the Scudetto from fierce rivals Milan.

The 29-year-old will hope to regain the confidence he had during his two-year spell with Inter, with no Nerazzurri player scoring more times (64), providing more assists (17) or creating as many chances (133) in all competitions in that period.

Vieri understands the pressure of a big-money move, having joined Inter in a then world-record €49m transfer in 1999 from Lazio, but insists Lukaku must find the old version of himself with the Nerazzurri.

"I wouldn't want to talk about players who haven't signed yet. We'll see how it ends, the teams are working to become stronger and stronger," Vieri said on his podcast.

"He is still a great player, he has scored many goals all over the world. Last year he did very badly with Chelsea, few games and very few goals.

"If he returns, he will have to prove that he is the Lukaku seen at Inter."

While Inzaghi will be delighted to bolster his attacking ranks, with Paulo Dybala also reportedly set to arrive from Juventus, not all at Inter are keen to welcome Lukaku back.

After Lukaku expressed his desire to return to Inter in a controversial interview in December, the Nerazzurri supporters group Curva Nord unveiled a banner, stating: "It doesn't matter who runs away in the rain, what matters is who stays in the storm. Bye Romelu".

Curva Nord issued another statement on Wednesday, assuring they have not forgotten about Lukaku's exit to Chelsea that they felt betrayed the Nerazzurri.

"He was supported and treated like a king, now he is one like another player," the group posted on Instagram. "We took note of Lukaku's betrayal and we were very upset.

"To a footballer these things can be forgiven over time, but they remain. Let us also be clear to everyone that we will never cheer against Lukaku if he wears the Inter shirt again.

"However, we invite all Inter fans not to fall into the trap of running immediately and drooling after him. 

"In addition to a clear instinctive emotional aspect, pretending that nothing has happened, would only give a further acceleration to that process that has been going on for years aimed at making us all stupid and supine consumers."

Ivan Perisic's move to Tottenham from Inter came as a surprise to Ivica Olic, his former Croatia team-mate who is now assistant manager of the national team.

The 33-year-old winger left Italy following the expiration of his contract to join Spurs on a free transfer, where he will reunite with former Inter boss Antonio Conte.

He stands among a number of early additions made by Conte ahead of the new season such as Fraser Forster and Yves Bissouma, as Spurs look to consolidate their top-four position in the 2022-23 season.

Perisic's move to Spurs brings an end to a seven-year association with Inter, with whom he won the Serie A in 2020-21 and the Coppa Italia in 2021-22, and Olic thought the Nerazzurri would find a way to keep him.

"To be honest I was a little surprised he went to England - he had a very good season at Inter and I expected him to stay," Olic told Stats Perform.

"I didn't think Inter would just let go of him like that.

"Ivan has played in Germany, France and now Italy for the past few years. But we had talked about the fact that England had always been a sore point for him. 

"I'm not saying it was a life aspiration for him but definitely sees it as a challenge to play in the Premier League."

Olic believes the fact that Perisic has experience working with Conte will be beneficial for him and does not foresee any issues with the experienced winger settling into English football.

"This opportunity presented itself and he accepted it," said Olic. "Some clubs were interested in him, but he chose Tottenham. 

"He knows the coach, his coaching staff and his game system. In terms of getting used to the English system, I don't think he will have any problems. 

"I'm sure, since I've played with him myself and now, I'm coaching him, that he'll settle in quickly and become one of the most important players."

Spurs begin the new Premier League season on August 6 against Southampton and will be in the Champions League group stage draw on Thursday, August 25.

Barcelona's much-publicised financial difficulties are creating unwanted kind of leverage in the transfer market.

The Blaugrana have been linked to the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah, but via a free transfer, circumventing the need for an initial outlay.

Reports suggest one of their transfer targets this off-season appears to be unattainable, though.

TOP STORY – SEVILLA STIFLE KOUNDE MOVE TO BARCELONA

Barcelona's reported interest in Jules Kounde will face a stumbling block in the form of Sevilla, according to Marca.

The Andalusian club have set a €60million price for Kounde, reportedly knowing that interest from Premier League clubs will meet that benchmark and effectively price Barcelona out of the market.

In addition, Sevilla would want to close the deal quickly, forcing Barcelona into cash-flow difficulty if they were to meet the demands for Kounde.

Barcelona are unwilling to pay the €60m despite sourcing fresh funds, with a reported need to primarily balance this year's budget.

ROUND-UP

– Arsenal and Newcastle United are keen on Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz, whose contract runs out in 2023, according to Corriere dello Sport.

– Borussia Dortmund are set to sign Ajax striker Sebastian Haller, per ESPN.

– Real Madrid have stepped up their interest in Raheem Sterling with his future in Manchester City uncertain, the Mirror reports.

– Chelsea are considering signing 29-year-old Lens full-back Jonathan Clauss, Goal is reporting.

Romelu Lukaku could make a "huge difference" to Inter's attack should he return to the club from Chelsea, according to Blues legend Gianfranco Zola.

Lukaku is closing in on a return to San Siro less than a year after joining Chelsea in a club-record £97.5million transfer, with Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta revealing on Monday the club are in talks to sign both the Belgian and Juventus' Paulo Dybala.

The Chelsea striker only scored eight Premier League goals as Chelsea finished third in the English top flight last term, and reportedly wants to return to the club with whom he won Serie A in 2020-21.

Lukaku scored 30 goals and recorded 11 assists in 44 appearances for Inter in his last season with the Nerazzurri, averaging a goal every 118.77 minutes.

Among strikers in the top five European leagues to hit 20 goals or more in all competitions that campaign, only eight averaged fewer minutes between strikes than the Belgian, including the likes of Robert Lewandowski (70.6), Kylian Mbappe (88.62), Cristiano Ronaldo (104.19) and Lionel Messi (110.32).

Chelsea great Zola thinks Lukaku could make the difference for an Inter side that missed out on the Serie A title by just two points last season.

"Lukaku continued to express this desire to return to Inter where he had found himself very well, but honestly I thought it was a difficult operation," he told Sky in Italy.

"If he returned to Inter, he would be a player capable of making a huge difference, also in light of this year's difficulties."

Another high-profile player to be linked with a move to Italy is Angel Di Maria, who is available on a free transfer after announcing his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

The Argentina international is reportedly a target for Juventus, and Zola believes that move would benefit both the Bianconeri and Serie A as a whole.

However, he also called on Italian football to do more to produce young attacking players of Di Maria's quality after Roberto Mancini's Azzurri missed out on qualification for the World Cup and made a poor start to their Nations League campaign.

"He has important experience and quality, players of this calibre raise the level of our football," Zola said of Di Maria.

"But we must think of creating higher quality players in our youth sector, especially in the last 40 metres [before goal], where we lack."

Simone Inzaghi has signed a contract extension with Inter, tying him to the club until June 2024. 

The 46-year-old took over from Antonio Conte in 2021 and impressed in his first season at the helm of the Nerazzurri, which followed the departures of key duo Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.

And Inter confirmed on Tuesday that he had signed a new two-year deal.

Despite missing out on the Scudetto to local rivals Milan, Inzaghi did lead Inter to success in the Supercoppa Italiana and the Coppa Italia – requiring extra time to overcome Juventus on both occasions.

As Inter prepare for a bid to regain the Serie A title, the Nerazzurri have taken the decision to hand Inzaghi fresh terms.

Inter are hoping to build on Inzaghi's new deal by sealing a San Siro return for former talisman Lukaku, just one season after selling him to Chelsea for a reported €115million. 

Lukaku endured a tough first season after returning to Stamford Bridge and will hope to rediscover the form that encouraged Chelsea to make him their record signing if he completes his move back to Italy.

Across his two previous seasons at Inter, Lukaku scored 64 goals and supplied 17 assists – both team highs during that time frame. He also led the way in shots on target (132), chances created (133), aerial duels won (185) and dribbles completed (103).

Inter are also locked in talks to sign Paulo Dybala on a free transfer from Juventus, with chief executive Giuseppe Marotta admitting the Nerazzurri's interest in acquiring both attackers on Monday.

Tottenham and Chelsea target Alessandro Bastoni will "100 per cent" be staying at Inter, while Simone Inzaghi has agreed a new contract with the Nerazzurri.

That is the message from football agent Tullio Tinti, who represents Inter duo Bastoni and Inzaghi.

Chelsea are in the market for a new centre-back, with Antonio Rudiger leaving for Real Madrid, Andreas Christensen departing and talk of Cesar Azpilicueta joining Barcelona.

Tottenham are also in the search for another defender as Antonio Conte looks to continue to invest to build a side capable of competing in the Premier League and Champions League.

Bastoni has been a name repeatedly linked with the two clubs, alongside Manchester United, but the Italy international's agent Tinti insists a move will not happen.

"Bastoni is currently on vacation," Tinti told reporters. "He is staying at Inter 100 per cent. We respect our contracts and are happy to discuss an extension when Inter call us."

Inter are said to be close to announcing a new contract for coach Inzaghi, who took over from Conte in 2021 and narrowly finished second in Serie A behind Milan.

Tinti simply responded "yes" when asked if the Inzaghi extension was agreed upon, with confirmation expected in the coming days.

Bastoni staying and the Inzaghi extension will provide a boost to Inter, who are aiming to bolster their attacking ranks with the additions of Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku only left for Chelsea before the start of the 2021-22 campaign in a Blues' record £97.5million move, but is expected to return on loan to the Serie A side.

During his previous two-year spell, no Nerazzurri player scored more goals (64), provided more assists (17) or created as many chances (133) in all competitions than the Belgium international.

Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni has played down concerns regarding the potential loss of Rafael Leao after insisting the side "always replace well".

Leao starred during Milan's triumphant Serie A campaign in the 2021-22 season, scoring 11 goals and contributing a further eight assists as they beat city rivals Inter to the Scudetto on the final day of the season.

The contributions of the Portugual forward have not gone unnoticed, with Real Madrid having been attributed with an interest in the 23-year-old.

While Scaroni did not erase the fears of fans that Leao could be lured away from the club, he outlined evidence that Milan have done well in the past to land suitable replacements for those that moved elsewhere.

"Leao is without doubt a precious gem but Milan has shown itself able to replace the seemingly irreplaceable," he told the 'La Politica Nel Pallone' podcast.

"I remember [Simon] Kjaer's injury and the introduction of [Pierre] Kalulu, in retrospect we are all happy to have discovered a new talent."

Last week it was reported that Leao had snubbed the offer of a new contract with Milan, which would have extended his deal until 2026.

His deal is due to expire in 2024 and that could result in a transfer either this year or next in order for the Serie A champions to receive a fee.

Wojciech Szczesny says playing with Cristiano Ronaldo made him feel like his side were starting matches a goal up, as he rued Juventus' failure to win the Champions League with the Portugual great.

Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 appearances in all competitions for Juve between 2018 and 2021, averaging a strike every 113.95 minutes and winning five trophies in Italy.

Juve stumbled to a second consecutive fourth-placed Serie A finish in the 2021-22 season after Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, who themselves toiled in the Premier League, finishing sixth with their worst points tally (58) in the competition, despite the striker's 18 top-flight goals.

Ronaldo failed to add to his five Champions League titles while representing the Bianconeri, and while Szczesny regrets their European exits to Ajax (2019), Lyon (2020) and Porto (2021), he remembers his time playing with the striker fondly.

"[He is] a brilliant footballer, who makes a difference not only on the pitch," Szczesny told Polish newspaper Przeglad Sportowy. "I don't know if there is anyone in the world at his level. 

"When he arrived, however, we didn't see him as a CR7, but as a team-mate. With him, however, I tried things that didn't exist. 

"Entering the field with him, even before the referee whistled for the start, it was like being 1-0 ahead. It was impressive.

"The Champions League was within our reach in the first two seasons, then we went out with teams we shouldn't have lost against. But this is the Champions League."

While Juventus' spell of dominance over Serie A has come crashing to a halt over the last two seasons after they won nine consecutive titles between 2012 and 2020, Szczesny believes Massimiliano Allegri and predecessor Andrea Pirlo did well to secure top-four finishes.

"Sooner or later, it had to end," he said. "After nine years of victories there was a generational change of players. 

"Changing always costs something. However, I believe that Pirlo and Allegri have done a great job getting to Champions League qualification."

Szczesny has made 137 league appearances for Juve since joining in 2017, keeping 50 clean sheets, and is keen to remain in Turin until his contract expires in 2025.

However, the former Arsenal goalkeeper does not expect to get close to the legendary Gianluigi Buffon's tally of 489 Serei A games in the Juventus goal, saying a move to Spain could be on the cards in three years' time.

"I still have three years on my contract and if they want to keep me, I would like to complete it," he added. "Every year there are market rumours, now I worry when new names do not come out for Juventus' goal!

"I won't play as much as he [Buffon] does. I want to stay at Juventus until 2025, then maybe I'll go to Spain where I have a home."