Milan defender Fikayo Tomori has dismissed suggestions Inter and Juventus are favourites to take the Rossoneri's Serie A crown next season, declaring: "They also said it last year."

However, the England international acknowledged Inter's loan signing of Romelu Lukaku – who he described as "special" – represents a major coup for Milan's cross-city rivals.

Tomori enjoyed a stellar campaign as Stefano Pioli's men ended an 11-year wait to win the Scudetto last season, contributing to 13 clean sheets in 31 Serie A appearances. 

Meanwhile, the former Chelsea defender topped the Rossoneri charts for blocks (23), interceptions (45), clearances (77) and tackles (73) in his first campaign since making a permanent move to San Siro last June. 

No team conceded fewer Serie A goals (31) or recorded more wins (26) than Milan last term, but Inter's signing of Lukaku and Juventus' moves for Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria have seen the Derby d'Italia rivals touted as title favourites for 2022-23.

Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, however, Tomori suggested it would be unwise to write off Milan, smiling: "Are they the favourites? They also said it last year and then we won.

"When I arrived in Milan I knew the team was strong and we could win the Scudetto. 

"I knew it was a special club, especially in the Champions League. We are excited and we are still hungry to win."

Lukaku's return to Inter, for whom he scored 24 Serie A goals during a 2020-21 Scudetto triumph under Antonio Conte, represents a significant coup for Milan's rivals.

And Tomori labelled the striker "a special player" as he revealed his high hopes for another Belgian attacker, new Milan arrival Divock Origi.

"The first time I faced him in the derby was my debut in Milan," Tomori said of Lukaku. "I am not afraid but I respect him, he is strong and will be like this again this year. Romelu is a special player.

"Origi is strong and fast, a good sign, I played against him last year [in the Champions League]."

Despite enjoying a dream campaign during his first full season at San Siro, Tomori is still targeting individual improvements, and has no shortage of defensive role models to look up to in Milan.

"I saw [Alessandro] Nesta, [Jaap] Stam, Cafu, all very strong. But the one I liked the most is Paolo Maldini, also because he is back here while we do the interview!" The defender continued.

"[Franco] Baresi is not as tall as me, but he had leadership, and then the position of the body, the voice on the pitch... the same thing for Maldini and Nesta. 

"Personality on the pitch, ability to read the different moments of the match… I want to show these characteristics too."

Milan begin their title defence at home to Udinese on August 13.

Dusan Vlahovic has targeted scoring 30 goals and leading Juventus to the Serie A title in his first full season in Turin, as he bids to become the first player to win the Capocannoniere (top scorer award) and the Scudetto in the same campaign since 2008-09.

Not since Zlatan Ibrahimovic top-scored with 25 league goals for Jose Mourinho's Inter 13 years ago has Serie A's top scorer played for the title winners, leading Massimiliano Allegri to joke recently he hopes Vlahovic does not win the award next term. 

Vlahovic scored 24 Serie A goals last season – seven after leaving Fiorentina for Juventus in January, a tally only bettered by Lazio's Ciro Immobile (27). 

Since making his Serie A debut in September 2018, Vlahovic has hit 51 goals in just 113 appearances in the competition.

With Juve having finished fourth in successive league campaigns, Vlahovic hopes his goals can drive them to silverware in the 2022-23 season.

"I have read that in the last 10 to 12 years the top scorer has never won the Scudetto, but there is always a first time, right?" the Serbian told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Team goals come before personal ones, it's more important for Juve to win, but if I score 30 goals and we become Italian champions, for me that's fine.

"It's the only gift I want. Everything else passes, only the successes remain.

"In Serbia, Italian football was followed a lot, we push beyond our limits to get victories.

"I grew up with the aim of becoming a winner and I will do everything to make it into Juve's history, given the players who have been here." 

Vlahovic was linked with several of Europe's biggest clubs, including a host of Premier League outfits, before he opted to follow in the footsteps of Roberto Baggio, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Chiesa in swapping Florence for Turin.

While his move to La Viola's rivals was controversial, Vlahovic says Juve's winning mentality made it an easy decision to make.

"It wasn't a difficult choice because Juve is a glorious club, very close to my way of working: fighting, never giving up until the end, believing even when it seems that all is lost is my philosophy and that of the club too," he added.

"We all know what Juve represent in Italy. For me, it is a pleasure and an honour to defend these colours."

Juventus will begin their Serie A campaign at home to Sassuolo on August 15 after wrapping up pre-season with matches against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri hailed Angel Di Maria as "extraordinary" after the new arrival impressed in the Bianconeri's 2-2 friendly draw with Barcelona.

Allegri also warned the Blaugrana are "back" and ready to compete for silverware after rebuilding their side during a busy transfer window under Xavi.

A brace each for Ousmane Dembele and Moise Kean saw Barca and Juve share an entertaining draw in Dallas, with Di Maria impressing, particularly in the first half.

After the match, Allegri said the Argentine – who won five Ligue 1 titles during a seven-year spell with Paris Saint-Germain before heading to Turin on a free transfer earlier this month – was a top signing for Juve.

"Di Maria is an extraordinary player. He is a champion, and it is a pleasure to see him play," Allegri said. 

"For us, it was a great acquisition."

Juventus were subjected to a tough test against Barcelona, who handed starts to new signings Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen, as Xavi's team recorded 20 attempts and enjoyed 58 per cent of the possession in Texas.

And Allegri was pleased with how his side coped against elite opposition as he warned Barcelona will be back in contention for major honours after their recent spending spree.

"Tonight we had a good match against an important team," Allegri added.

"Without a doubt we could have done better on the two goals we conceded, but we had many scoring chances, I'm happy with how it went. We are working very well and tonight was a good test. 

"Attention, Barcelona are back... they have built an important team to return to win. This draw is worth a lot."

Juventus wrap up their tour of the United States against Real Madrid in Los Angeles on Sunday, before travelling to Israel to face Atletico Madrid in their final outing of pre-season.

The tense Frenkie de Jong transfer saga continues with uncertainty on his Barcelona future.

The 25-year-old Dutchman has two years to run on his Barcelona contract, having postponed part of his deal during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

De Jong is unwilling to accept another pay cut to remain at Camp Nou, though, amid the club's hefty off-season transfer spending.

TOP STORY – DE JONG DECISION OVER ENGLISH SUITORS

Decisions will be made on Frenkie de Jong's future at Barcelona after their United States tour, with interest from Chelsea alongside Manchester United, reports Sport.

De Jong is reluctant to leave Camp Nou, particularly for a move to Old Trafford, despite ending last season out of favour.

However, the Dutchman is more open to Chelsea's advances, but the Blues are unwilling to pay as much as United, leaving the Blaugrana in a bind.

ROUND-UP

– Leicester City have placed a £70million asking price on Wesley Fofana, who is being courted by Chelsea, reports CBS Sports.

– Newcastle United are considering a move for Chelsea's Germany international forward Timo Werner, claims Bild. Juventus are also interested in Werner according to Sky Sports.

– Fabrizio Romano reports that ex-Chelsea midfielder Oscar is pushing for a move from Shanghai SIPG to Flamengo, with talks ongoing.

– L'Equipe believes that Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has agreed to a deal with Ligue 1 club Nice, although Leicester City are yet to approve the move.

– Arsenal and Fulham are in talks over an £8m deal for goalkeeper Bernd Leno, claims Sky Sports.

– Roma head coach Jose Mourinho is trying to woo Manchester United defender Eric Bailly to the Italian capital, reports The Daily Mail.

Aaron Ramsey will become a free agent after Juventus announced his contract with the Italian club had been mutually terminated.

The Wales international joined the Bianconeri in 2019 after his Arsenal contract expired, but he fell out of favour last season and made just three Serie A appearances before joining Scottish side Rangers on loan.

He featured seven times for the Gers in the Scottish Premiership, but his time in Glasgow will be remembered for his crucial penalty shoot-out miss in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville, which Rangers ultimately went on to lose.

The 31-year-old returned to Turin after the loan spell with one year left on his contract, but it has been agreed between the two parties that they will part ways.

The midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to a couple of former clubs, with boyhood club Cardiff City reportedly interested as well as Premier League new boys Nottingham Forest, where he spent a short spell on loan in the 2010-11 season.

Ramsey will be keen to get some minutes under his belt to prepare for the World Cup with Wales in Qatar in November. 

Juventus meanwhile are reportedly interested in Paris Saint-Germain's Leandro Paredes, who spent last season on loan with Sporting Lisbon and could be a player that PSG would be happy to sell.

Paulo Dybala began life as a Roma player by insisting he bore no ill feeling towards Inter once his expected switch to San Siro failed to materialise.

Argentine forward Dybala has joined Roma on a free transfer after his contract at Juventus was allowed to expire, with the 28-year-old confident the capital club are becoming an increasingly powerful force.

Inter appeared to be the option that Dybala would choose after his Juve exit, but Nerazzurri managing director Giuseppe Marotta last week said the club had "no space" and "no need" to do that deal. They have brought in Romelu Lukaku and Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the close season.

"I didn't feel betrayed," Dybala said at a presentation media conference. "Since ending my contract with Juve I spoke to some teams more than others. I have a good relationship with Marotta."

Dybala said Roma general manager Tiago Pinto swayed him towards the Giallorossi, and he expects last season's Europa Conference League trophy triumph to prove a stepping stone to more success.

He said he would not celebrate if he scored in games against Juventus, and refused to speak of a Serie A title challenge – quite justifiably. Roma came home sixth in the league last season and finished 23 points behind champions Milan.

"Roma have won a very important trophy and want to have ambition for the future," Dybala said. "Roma have grown with the coach and the players. Our goal is winning game by game, then later we'll see where we are. Right now there are teams ahead of us for the Scudetto, we have to work to do well.

"I know there is a great desire, but it's too early to talk about it. But I like to win."

So does Jose Mourinho, the Roma head coach who will expect big things from Dybala.

Dybala scored 15 goals and added six assists in 38 games across all competitions last season, a big step in the right direction after a disappointing 2020-21 effort (five goals, three assists in 26 games).

His shot conversion rate of 12.4 per cent was nothing to crow about, however, compared to new Roma team-mate Tammy Abraham, whose rate of 18.18 per cent led to an 18-goal haul.

Now Dybala must put his playmaking attacking skills to work.

"Both Mou and the company showed me seriousness, enthusiasm, awareness," Dybala said at his presentation on Tuesday. "Knowing how Roma are building, I didn't have many doubts about choosing.

"It's up to the coach to decide where I play, wherever is best for the good of the team. I am ready to play wherever he thinks is best. Speaking with Mourinho before moving here was a great pleasure, all the conversations we had were very productive."

New Juventus signing Paul Pogba has suffered a knee injury and will not be part of the team that travels to Dallas to take on Barcelona in a friendly on Tuesday.

The France international recently returned to the club where he previously spent four years between 2012 and 2016, winning four Serie A titles in that period.

But it now appears that Pogba will be spending time on the sidelines, after Juventus released a statement updating fans on the status of the 29-year-old.

The statement on the club's official website said: "Following complaining of pain in his right knee, Paul Pogba underwent radiological examinations that revealed a lesion of the lateral meniscus.

"In the next few hours he will undergo a specialist orthopedic consultation.

"Therefore, in order to continue treatment, he is not taking part in the trip to Dallas."

Pogba's previous spell with the Bianconeri came to an end when Manchester United paid a then-world-record fee of £89.3million (€105m) to take the midfielder back to Old Trafford, where he had spent time as a youngster.

However, after an ultimately underwhelming six-year spell in Manchester, Pogba rejoined Juventus following the expiration of his United contract.

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is hoping that summer arrivals Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria will have a beneficial impact on the squad's younger players.

Pogba and Di Maria both arrived on free transfers after their contracts ran out at Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

France international Pogba is returning to the club where he previously played between 2012 and 2016, winning Serie A titles in all four of his seasons with the Turin outfit.

In 2016, he became the world's most expensive player after United paid a fee of £89million (€105m) to bring him to Manchester, but he is now back with the Italian side after a disappointing six-year spell in England.

Di Maria also had an unsuccessful period with United before signing for PSG, where he spent seven years until making the move to the Bianconeri earlier this month.

Speaking to Sky Sport on the new arrivals' potential influence, Szczesny said: "Two highly experienced players have joined us and many young players can only learn from them.

"In addition to this, they have an incredible quality and their contribution on the pitch will be important. I really hope they can give us a hand."

The Poland international was speaking from Juventus' pre-season training camp in the United States off the back of a 2-0 friendly win over Chivas Guadalajara.

Szczesny's side will take on Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid next as they prepare for the new campaign, where they will look to win their first Serie A title since the 2019-20 season.

The 32-year-old has been enthused by his team's pre-season so far, adding: "I'm having a lot of fun, we have been missing this experience in the last two-three years due to the pandemic.

"It's a great time to reunite with the group, work hard and have fun together.

"It will be a friendly match against Barcelona but it is always exciting to play against the best in the world.

"We have already played the first friendly in Las Vegas, now we have two games against Barcelona and Real Madrid and at this point it is nice to compete against the best teams."

Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni has claimed he never considered leaving the Nerazzurri despite being linked with a Premier League move, as he professed his hope Milan Skriniar would also remain at San Siro.

Meanwhile, Bastoni claimed the loan signing of Romelu Lukaku can help Inter compete for silverware on both domestic and European fronts, but warned old rivals Juventus will put up a stern challenge next season.

Bastoni had been linked with both Tottenham and Chelsea after a fine 2021-22 season with the Serie A runners-up, making 31 league appearances as he nailed down a regular spot in Simone Inzaghi's backline.

In June, however, Bastoni's agent Tullio Tinti claimed he would "100 per cent" remain at San Siro, and the defender has now revealed a move never crossed his mind.

"I never had the slightest doubt of leaving Inter, here I have everything I need to feel good and express myself at my best," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I am great with my teammates, with the club, I love Milan and so why go elsewhere? For many years [I hope to be] with this shirt and, in the meantime, I hope to still win a lot.

"The fact that the club wants to keep me means a lot. Here I have everything to feel good, I never thought about leaving."

Bastoni's defensive partner Skriniar has also been liked with an exit, with Paris Saint-Germain rumoured to be interested in the Slovakia international.

But Bastoni believes the presence of Skriniar, as well as that of the returning Lukaku – who scored 24 goals as Inter won the Scudetto in 2020-21 – will be crucial in the Nerazzurri's pursuit of silverware.

"[I hope] my friend Skriniar stays here with us, it would be a shame if he left us," Bastoni added. "Lukaku? He is the same [as his previous spell], now let us win."

Inter are likely to face stern competition in their bid to regain the Serie A title, both from champions Milan and Massimiliano Allegri's Juve.

The Bianconeri have had a busy transfer window after finishing fourth last term, acquiring the likes of Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria and Gleison Bremer, and the 23-year-old expects Allegri's team to fare much better this time around.

"We have grown, but keep an eye on Juventus," he warned. "The Bianconeri are a battleship, but we are no less."

Despite winning LaLiga and the Champions League last season, Real Madrid want to secure a bright future to follow their trophy-laden present.

Having confirmed the signings of Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger this off-season, Madrid managed to bolster their squad in two areas of the pitch.

Meanwhile, they are on the verge of securing the long-term futures of three foundational pieces in those successes last term.

TOP STORY – REAL MADRID TO SECURE BRAZILIAN TRIO

Real Madrid are all but set to confirm renewed contracts for their Brazilian trio of Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Despite tricky initiations for each, all three have now established themselves as vital players under Carlo Ancelotti, as evidenced by their new release clauses.

Militao and Rodrygo have reportedly extended to June 2028, with respective €500million and €1billion release clauses.

After a breakout season, culminating with his goal in May's Champions League final, Vinicius will reportedly extend to June 2027, along with a €1bn release clause.

ROUND-UP

– Manchester United are now considering a move for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as an alternative to Frenkie de Jong, Calciomercato is reporting.

– Juventus have made a €23m (£19.5m) move for Liverpool's Roberto Firmino as they finalise the termination of Aaron Ramsey's contract, according to Tuttomercatoweb.

– Jules Kounde's departure from Sevilla appears likelier with the defender close to agreeing personal terms with Barcelona, per Fabrizio Romano.

– Arsenal have confirmed their interest in Lucas Paqueta but are yet to make Lyon an offer, The Times has reported.

Leonardo Bonnuci feels Matthijs de Ligt's comments on his desire to depart Juventus showed a lack of respect to the Bianconeri, after the latter completed his move to Bayern Munich.

The Netherlands international sealed his switch to the Bundesliga champions from Turin earlier this month, ending his three-year stint at the Allianz Stadium.

De Ligt made no secret of his desire to move away from Juve, particularly after missing out on the Scudetto in each of the last two seasons.

But while Bonucci wishes his former defensive partner the best, he admits he had to address some of his words before he departed.

"De Ligt’s exit didn’t surprise me because certain comments made it clear he didn’t want to stay at Juventus," the Italy international stated after the Bianconeri beat Guadalajara 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in Las Vegas.

"But I think at the end of the day, you need to be respectful. The group he was with for three years helped him grow, and the club invested in him.

"I wish him the best, but certain comments he made on international duty were not very nice. We spoke about it after our holidays, and he understood.

"Bayern are a great club, but just being at a top club doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to win."

Bonucci, meanwhile, has not given up hope of completing his club trophy cabinet.with Juventus, despite their recent drop in form.

A multiple Serie A and Coppa Italia winner during his time in Turin - along with a Euro 2020 triumph with the Azzurri - the Champions League remains the last major club honour to elude him, having been a beaten finalist on two occasions.

"When I joined, my dream was to have a great career and win everything," he added. "I’ve almost achieved it; I’m 90 per cent there. I’m just missing that tiny piece, which hurts us Juve fans.

"Let’s hope that over the next two years of my contract we can find stability in Europe again. Winning is always difficult. The first step is to reach the quarter-finals, then you need luck.

"In a season so unique, anything can happen, so why not believe in Juve’s future in Europe?"

Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado believes "a very strong Juve is being born" ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

The Colombia international was speaking after a 2-0 friendly win over Mexican side Guadalajara in Las Vegas; Marco Da Graca and Mattia Compagnon on target at the Allegiant Stadium.

Juventus struggled at the beginning of last season, but they soon picked up under head coach Massimiliano Allegri and finished fourth in Serie A to ensure Champions League qualification.

While they have lost key defender Matthijs de Ligt to Bayern Munich, the Bianconceri have brought in the likes of Angel Di Maria and the returning Paul Pogba on free transfers, as well as Bremer from Torino.

Cuadrado was positive about both the Guadalajara win and the future of Juventus, telling the club's official channels: "[It was] a beautiful evening, even if it was a friendly match.

"For us, it is always important to seek victory, and we have. Chivas are a good team, but we now want to also do well in the next matches.

"A very strong Juve is being born, with many quality players, great new arrivals."

And it is clear that head coach Allegri is putting the players to work ahead of the forthcoming Serie A campaign.

When asked what the boss was asking of them in pre-season, Cuadrado replied: "Run, run, run."

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri declared "we have a duty to win the Scudetto" after the Bianconeri failed to win a trophy last season.

Allegri returned to Turin at the start of the 2021-22 campaign and had to settle for fourth in Serie A after a poor start to the season.

Juve were unable to keep up with Scudetto challengers Milan and Inter, while Napoli finished in third, nine points clear of the Bianconeri.

Allegri's side also fell to extra-time defeat in the Coppa Italia final against Inter and crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage to Villarreal.

That marked the first season Juve have not lifted a trophy in 10 years, and Allegri hopes he has laid the foundations for improvement in the upcoming campaign.

"As always, we are starting to hit all the seasonal objectives, very important players have arrived, some experienced and others younger," he told reporters.

"For us, it will be the second year and this is a good starting point. We have a duty to win the Scudetto, especially after finishing last season without a trophy for the first time in 10 years."

Juve have acted to close the gap on Milan, Inter and Napoli by bringing in Angel di Maria from Paris Saint-Germain and re-signing Paul Pogba on a free transfer from Manchester United.

Matthijs de Ligt then left the Serie A side for Bayern Munich this week and, after Juve brought in Bremer as his replacement, Allegri hailed the squad he has started to assemble.

"Pogba and Di Maria are extraordinary, then we have a young player like [Federico] Gatti and others that I have to evaluate," he added. 

"I am very happy with Bremer's arrival, he has the characteristics we were looking for and he is very physical.

"There aren't many defenders of that level around and the club was very good at replacing De Ligt promptly.

"I'm satisfied, but now let's think about the games because there is less than a month to go until the start of the season."

Juve begin their pre-season campaign on their tour of the United States against C.D. Guadalajara and Allegri is intrigued to see how his side fare in their first friendly.

"We worked well for 10 days, now I'm curious to see how we will play in this first test," he continued. 

"For us it will be a good friendly to play, Chivas are a great team even if they are not doing well in the league.

"We know the Mexican league well, our opponents are an organised team and they have good players. It will be the first of three games that we will need to prepare for the season in the best possible way."

The revolving door at Stamford Bridge could face a potential slow down with the growing wage disparity between the Premier League and the rest of Europe's top five leagues.

Premier League clubs dominate lists of the highest wage spenders in European football and since Roman Abramovich's takeover, Chelsea have long been a prominent figure in that regard.

In a changing marketplace, however, moving players this season has become a trickier task.

TOP STORY – WERNER, KEPA STAYING PUT AT CHELSEA

Chelsea are struggling to move Timo Werner and Kepa Arrizabalaga among other players due to wage demands, according to The Telegraph.

The Blues are also finding it tricky to move Michy Batshuayi and Ross Barkley, despite the club's desire to accommodate potential signings.

Werner has seen the Blues search for attackers this off-season and could potentially be joining Romelu Lukaku out the door, while Kepa has notably been Edouard Mendy's understudy.

Finding a suitable club for the two has the potential to be difficult, however, with both being brought in on lucrative wages.

ROUND-UP

– Barcelona will make a final attempt to sign Sevilla's Jules Kounde amid likelier interest from Chelsea, Sport is reporting.

– Manchester City have had a £30million bid for Marc Cucurella rejected by Brighton and Hove Albion, who value him around £50m, according to The Athletic.

– Paris Saint-Germain are looking to offload Georginio Wijnaldum and Roma have emerged as a potential destination for the Netherlands midfielder, Corriere dello Sport reports.

– Juventus are considering the termination of Aaron Ramsey's contract in an attempt to cut heavy wage spending, per Fabrizio Romano.

Aaron Ramsey has been left out of Juventus' squad for their pre-season tour of the United States amid reports the midfielder wants his contract terminated in Turin.

The Wales international struggled for appearances last season before he was considered surplus to requirements as Massimiliano Allegri sent him on loan to Rangers.

Ramsey helped the Scottish Premiership side to the Europa League final but missed a penalty in the shoot-out as Eintracht Frankfurt lifted the trophy in Seville.

The 31-year-old is entering the final 12 months of his contract with Juve, but reports suggest he wants to cut short his deal to end a frustrating and injury-marred spell with the Serie A side.

Cardiff City are said to be among front-runners to sign Ramsey – who played just 97 Serie A minutes last season – with Burnley, Rangers and a host of MLS sides also linked to the midfielder.

Ramsey will want to be playing regular first-team club football ahead of going to the World Cup with Wales in November.

As Juventus head off the US, where they face C.D. Guadalajara, Barcelona and Real Madrid, Federico Chiesa is another to have been left out of the 27-man squad as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury.

There are also injury concerns Mattia De Sciglio, Kaio Jorge and Arthur, who is reportedly a target for Arsenal should Mikel Arteta not be able to sign Leicester City star Youri Tielemans.

Meanwhile, Adrien Rabiot had already confirmed on Wednesday that he would miss the tour due to "personal reasons" and was subsequently left out of Allegri's squad that was announced the following day.

Gleison Bremer, Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria have all been included as Juventus prepare to see their new arrivals in action.