Internazionale

Martinez, 22, is reportedly being chased by Barca after scoring 16 goals in 31 games for Inter this season.

The 1960 Ballon d'Or winner, Suarez moved in the opposite direction during his playing career, leaving Barca for Inter in 1961.

The former Spain international said if he was in Martinez's position, he would stay at San Siro.

"If I were him, I wouldn't change teams," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday.

"Making a decision on whether to stay or not is very complicated, although if [Lionel] Messi called him then it would be easy to think about it.

"However, we're talking about a boy who is still very young, and he has all the time in the world to go for other challenges in the future."

Martinez could reunite with Messi at Barcelona, with the pair playing alongside each other for Argentina.

But Suarez reminded Martinez just where he would stand if he decided to leave Inter.

"Let's say the truth, he would have less prominence in Spain than he does at Inter," he said.

"I want to give [Lautaro] some advice – stay where you are."

The Inter goalkeeper made his international debut in 2012 and has since racked up 94 caps and kept 33 clean sheets.

Sommer was ever-present during Switzerland’s impressive run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals in Germany, where they lost to eventual finalists England on penalties.

Euro 2024 marked his fifth major tournament with the Swiss national team having also received call-ups for Euro 2016 and 2020 and the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The 35-year-old will now focus solely on domestic football as he continues his career in Serie A.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to end my career as a goalkeeper for the Swiss national team," Sommer posted on Instagram.

"With the conclusion of another great final round at the European Championship in our neighbouring country Germany, where I previously spent unforgettable years in the Bundesliga, the time has now come to say goodbye."

Taremi converted a penalty and provided two assists, including one for Arnautovic, as Inter overwhelmed the visitors and forced them into costly errors at the back.

Their success came through an energetic pressing game from Taremi in particular, with Inzaghi keen to give the pair an opportunity to start ahead of Lautaro Martínez, who came off the bench to score, and Marcus Thuram.

"The lads were good, they played a serious game against a team that came to play a purely defensive game," Inzaghi told Sky Sport.

"Apart from a couple of counter-attacks that we could have read better and the first five minutes of the second half, everything went well."

He singled out Taremi, 32, and Arnautovic, 35, for praise, adding: "They are giving it their all, I have to make decisions game by game.

"They deserved this opportunity and took advantage of it very well.

"We have two strikers who are playing more, Thuram and Lautaro, but the season is long. Arnautovic and Taremi are two players that I wanted here.

"I am satisfied with how they work daily (in training) and they must continue like this." 

Martinez's goal, meanwhile, was his 13th in the Champions League for Inter.

Only Adriano (14) has ever scored more in the competition for the club.

After drawing 0-0 with Manchester City in their opening game, Tuesday's victory was another step in the right direction for Inter, who have not had the greatest start to the season in Serie A.

"We wanted this victory to follow up the performance in Manchester. We have to continue in this direction. I got the answers I wanted, I'm satisfied," Inzaghi said.

Inter are unbeaten across their last ten Champions League games at San Siro (W8 D2), eight of which have been accompanied by a clean sheet. They have never recorded a longer such streak in the competition before (since the format started in 1992-93).

The Belgian striker converted a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn Inter a 1-1 draw in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg on April 4 at the Allianz Stadium.

He then used his finger to shush the home fans' vitriol and that reaction was deemed a bookable offence by referee Davide Massa.

Lukaku had already been booked for a foul in the 80th minute, so the second yellow card saw him dismissed.

The Inter frontman called for action from Serie A officials after being targeted for abuse, while team-mate Edin Dzeko described the treatment from the Juventus fans as something "that should never happen".

FIFA president Gianni Infantino labelled the abuse "unacceptable" and called for those responsible to be punished.

A partial stadium closure was initially imposed on Juventus as a result of Lukaku being targeted, with the section from where the abuse came ordered to be shut for one game, but that decision was overturned this week.

An appeal against Lukaku's punishment was submitted by Inter to the Italian FA – the FIGC – but that was rejected on Friday, meaning the on-loan Chelsea player must miss next Wednesday's second leg.

In a statement, Inter said: "The FIGC's National Court of Appeal today confirmed the suspension of Romelu Lukaku, who will be unable to participate in Wednesday's Coppa Italia semi-final.

"FC Internazionale Milano feels it must consolidate its support for the player and expresses great sorrow at the fact that the victim has become the only guilty party."

Tonali is highly coveted following his exploits for Brescia – the Italian midfielder attracting interest from the likes of Serie A champions Juve, Inter, Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona.

The 20-year-old, compared to Italian great Andrea Pirlo, has been tipped to join either Inter or Juve at the end of the 2019-20 coronavirus-hit season.

Balzaretti hailed "special" three-time international Tonali in an interview with Stats Perform News.

"Tonali, the first time I watched him, his passing [stood out]," former Torino, Palermo, Juve, Fiorentina and Roma full-back Balzaretti said. "His idea, to pass and to play vertical. He is totally different to Andrea Pirlo but he could play together with Pirlo. It would be a great, great partnership because he is more physical maybe than Pirlo. What Andrea has is a light interior and a vision to map the field, to play under pressure and understand one or two times before other players. Tonali doesn't have that yet.

"But of course, Tonali is a great character. His defensive numbers are very high in the league. When you watch him after 10-15 minutes, you say okay he will be a national team player for the next 15 years. It's impressive. I watched him three years ago, he is very young. It's unbelievable. He is an incredible player. He is ready to play for a top, top club in Europe – if it's Juventus, Inter, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, I don't know, it doesn't matter. He is ready for the next step."

Tonali is set to shape the future of Italian football alongside fellow 20-year-old and Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo.

Zaniolo has flourished in the Italian capital since arriving from rivals Inter in 2018, establishing himself as a key player for Roma and Italy.

The attacking midfielder, who is continuing his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), has been linked with a move away from Roma.

A possible return to Inter has been mentioned, while Juve have reportedly had an offer rejected amid reports Roma could be forced to sell prized asset Zaniolo due to their financial situation.

"It's very important to keep the best player, of course," Balzaretti, who spent three years playing for Roma before retiring in 2015, said. "But also, there is the financial part, which is sometimes more important because if you have a big debt, you have to sell, sometimes the management doesn't want to sell but they need to.

"When you need to sell, the offer comes for the best player you have. Clubs aren't stupid. They don't want to buy your worst player, they want your best player. Sometimes you need to. The problem is not to sell this kind of player, maybe it's a problem, but the first thing is to have a good balance financially. You have to be stable. You don't need to sell players, Zaniolo or someone else. This is the goal for this kind of club for me. Sometimes, you don't want but if you have less €100million, you need to sell because if not, FIFA will kill you.

"If you want to win the league, be stable in the Champions League, compete with the best clubs, you have to keep your best player. If they are young, like Zaniolo and [Lorenzo] Pellegrini, that can improve and be part of your future, of course it's not good. But if you ask everyone in Rome, the president and sport director, no one wants to sell their best player and sometimes you have to."

The 38-year-old added: "Zaniolo is a modern player physically. The power, amazing power. He is fast, he kicks well, he is a very modern player. He can play in midfield, wide, he can play number 10. A complete midfielder, an offensive midfielder.

"His impact in Serie A is so huge. You have to think that he played in Primavera, so under-19. His step was U19 direct to Serie A and not direct to Serie A to one 'normal club', with Roma and the pressure you have at Roma is amazing, so huge. His impact was more huge than the pressure he has. When you are special, you do something like that."

Every division has something riding on the final days of the season, whether it be top spot, European qualification, or relegation.

Ahead of what is set to be a dramatic conclusion to the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga campaigns, we look at the state of play in each league.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Manchester City wrapped up the Premier League title with three games to spare, making them the first team in the competition's history to win the title despite being as low as eighth on Christmas Day.

All three relegation places were also decided with three games remaining – a Premier League record – with Fulham joining Sheffield United and West Brom in dropping down a division.

That leaves just the European spots to fight for, and it is shaping up to be an entertaining end to the English top-flight season in that regard. Manchester United are guaranteed a top-four finish, but five other teams – Leicester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham – are in the mix for the two other Champions League berths with two rounds of games to go.

There is also the small matter of the Europa League places for the teams finishing in fifth and sixth, as well as a spot in the inaugural Europa Conference League, which goes to the team in seventh, meaning everyone from 10th-placed Leeds United to Leicester in third have something to play for. That includes Arsenal, who have not missed out on European football of some sort in 25 years.

LALIGA 

The Spanish title race appeared to take a dramatic twist on Sunday as Real Madrid leapfrogged Atletico Madrid at the summit for around 20 minutes. However, Atleti scored two late goals to beat Osasuna, meaning they are two points ahead of their city rivals heading into the final round of games.

Atleti, who have led the way at the top for 29 matchdays, now need to match Madrid's result against Villarreal when they travel to relegation-threatened Real Valladolid on the final day of the season. It is worth noting that Los Blancos have the superior head-to-head record, so a draw would not be enough for Atleti if Madrid win.

Barcelona are officially out of the title race, meanwhile, but they are assured of a top-four finish along with Sevilla. Real Sociedad and Real Betis occupy the Europa League spots, while Villarreal are in a Europa Conference League berth, though just one point separates the three teams so that could all yet change.

To complicate matters, Villarreal could still qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League final against Manchester United.

At the bottom end of the division, Eibar are already relegated and they will be joined by two of Valladolid, Elche or Huesca. Valladolid must beat Atletico in their final game to have a chance of staying up, while the onus is on Elche to better Huesca's result as they are level on points but have an inferior head-to-head record.

LIGUE 1

The Ligue 1 title battle is also going right down to the wire in a three-way dogfight. After a thrilling race that has lasted the course of the season, underdogs Lille lead heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain by one point with one matchday left.

Monaco have won seven of their previous eight games and are three points off leaders Lille, though they require both Les Dogues and PSG to slip up on the final day, as well as beating Lens. Should it come down to goal difference, PSG hold a big lead over their two title rivals.

Incredibly, PSG are still not yet technically assured of a Champions League place as Lyon in fourth are only three points worse off, although it would take a defeat for the reigning champions and victory for Lyon, plus a goal swing of 16, for them to miss out.

Monaco's opponents Lens, incidentally, also have plenty to play for at the weekend as they are sixth – enough for Europa Conference League qualification – but can still be caught by Rennes in seventh, while they could yet overtake Marseille in fifth if results go their way.

At the opposite end of the table, there may only be one spot left to be settled in the bottom three – Dijon and Nimes are both already down – but six teams are still very much in danger of the drop. Nantes occupy the relegation play-off spot, with Lorient, Brest and Strasbourg just a point better off, and Bordeaux and Reims only two points clear.

SERIE A

With Inter being crowned Scudetto winners for the first time in 11 years at the start of the month, the biggest storyline in Serie A regards Juventus' top-four fate. The dethroned champions, who had finished top nine years running before this season, are currently down in fifth.

Juve are one point behind Napoli and Milan in the two spots directly above them, while Atalanta are three points better off in second and have the better head-to-head record against the Bianconeri.

Andrea Pirlo's side are therefore in need of favours on the final day in what is poised to be a nail-biting finale in terms of those Champions League places. Lazio will finish sixth, so they are assured of Europa League football next term, while Roma hold a two-point advantage over Sassuolo in the Europa Conference League position.

Parma and Crotone are both down already and one of Benevento or Torino will join them, the latter currently three points outside of the relegation zone and with a game in hand to play on Benevento.

BUNDESLIGA

RB Leipzig provided Bayern Munich with some stern competition for a while, but the Bavarian giants' quality eventually told and they are Bundesliga champions for a ninth year running.

It's not only the title race that's done and dusted in Germany, in fact, as RB Leipzig are certain of second place, and both Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg will join them in the Champions League next season.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, will finish in fifth and sixth respectively regardless of events later this week.

However, Union Berlin have work to do if they are to finish seventh for a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs as Borussia Monchengladbach are a point further back, while Stuttgart and Freiburg are two behind with a game to go.

Seven-time German champions Schalke will be competing in the second tier of German football next season, but Cologne and Werder Bremen are hanging on in there, sitting two and one point behind Arminia Bielefeld respectively in 15th place.

Roma have won just two of their nine games across all competitions this season, though Ivan Juric's side are unbeaten in their last three home outings.

Inter, meanwhile, slipped down to third following Juventus' win on Saturday, and are looking for a fourth win on the bounce following their 2-1 derby defeat to Milan. 

And even though they face a side still in search of their best form, Inzaghi has warned Inter that they cannot let their guard down. 

"We know what kind of opponent we are going to face," Inzaghi told Inter TV on Saturday.

"We've faced [coach Ivan] Juric many times in recent years, he is clearly bringing his philosophy to Roma, and we must be ready to put in a good performance, both with and without the ball. [Achieving] it will take a great Inter."

Inter will be without injured midfielders Piotr Zielinski and Kristjan Asllani, though the pair have featured minimally for Inter so far, with the former only playing 68 minutes in Serie so far this season.

"The international break shouldn't influence us. Before the break we had three wins, we need to continue on our path," Inzaghi said.

"We've got many players who have played many minutes, others like Lautaro [Martinez] and [Mehdi] Taremi who have flown far but come back in quite well, all except Zielinski who returned with a slight injury and will not play.

"Asllani picked up a slight knock to his knee and also won't be available, but [Thomas] Berenbruch will be in the squad, a promising talent from [our under-19 team], so we won't have any issues."

Inter have a busy week ahead of them, returning to Champions League action on Wednesday to face Young Boys before hosting Juventus in Serie A next weekend. 

Despite the packed schedule between the two international breaks, Inzaghi is determined to take it one game at a time.

"We know that we're about to play seven games in 20 days, so we need to do well but at the moment, the only concern for myself and the squad is to prepare well for the game against Roma [on Sunday]," he added.

"We will try to draw on the entire squad knowing that many of the lads try to cause me and my staff trouble on a daily basis when making our selections." 

The victory ended a three-game winless run in all competitions for Inter and ensured they got back to winning ways at the first opportunity following their 2-1 defeat in the Milan derby last weekend.

Udinese, meanwhile, are fifth in Serie A, with this defeat their second on the spin in the league after losing at Roma.

Davide Frattesi put Inter a goal ahead after just 43 seconds in Udine, converting Matteo Darmian's low cross to score the earliest goal in a Serie A match since 27 May 2023, but that was cancelled out by Christian Kabasele's 35th-minute header.

Last season's Serie A top scorer Martinez restored the visitors' advantage in stoppage time at the end of the first half before the Argenitne made it 3-1 just after half-time.

Lorenzo Lucca pulled one back for Udinese on 83 minutes to make it a nervy ending for Inter, yet it was the visitors who came closest to bagging again with Mehdi Taremi seeing a stoppage-time goal ruled out. 

Data Debrief: Inter get going on the road

This was Inter's first away victory of the season in all competitions.

It was, in turn, also Udinese's second defeat of the campaign and the second straight match in which they have conceded three goals. Udinese have now shipped 10 league goals, with just two teams in the division having let in more.

Martinez, meanwhile, netted at least two goals in an away league match for the 10th time for Inter. Since his debut in Serie A in the 2018-19 season, no other player has scored at least twice in a single match on the road in Serie A on as many occasions as him.

Inter and Ludogorets will clash in the second leg of their last-32 tie at San Siro on Thursday without any supporters present due to concerns over the spread of the virus in Italy, where there have been more than 300 cases and 11 deaths.

The confirmation of the match taking place behind closed doors was taken on Tuesday and followed the clash between Antonio Conte's side and Sampdoria being one of four Serie A fixtures postponed on Sunday.

But there will be no restrictions for attending supporters or alterations to fixtures for any of the other Europa League matches on Thursday or the two Champions League contests taking place on Wednesday.

"All other UEFA matches scheduled this week will go ahead as planned and at this time there are no restrictions for attending supporters," read UEFA's statement.

"UEFA will continue to closely monitor the situation regarding Covid-19 and to liaise with relevant authorities in this respect."

Nine of the original 12 founding teams involved in the controversial project – including all six English clubs – have renounced the competition and promised to take all possible steps to remove themselves from it.

They all agreed a peace accord with UEFA last week that saw them recommit to the current structures of club and international football.

As part of the deal, those nine teams also accepted light punishments including goodwill payments to UEFA and a small portion of their prize money being withheld.

But Barca, Juve and Madrid are yet to terminate their involvement and on Saturday insisted the breakaway project was lawful, hitting out at "intolerable" pressure and vowing to persevere. 

When announcing their agreement with the nine clubs who came back into the fold, UEFA said it would "take whatever action it deems appropriate" against the remaining three.

That process has now begun, as UEFA released a statement on Wednesday confirming the disciplinary probe.

It read: "In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA disciplinary regulations, UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspectors have today been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA's legal framework by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus in connection with the so-called 'Super League' project.

"Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course."

Speaking last week, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin discussed the recent developments, praising the nine clubs for stepping back from the Super League.

"I said at the UEFA Congress that it takes a strong organisation to admit making a mistake especially in these days of trial by social media," he said.

"In accepting their commitments and willingness to repair the disruption they caused, UEFA wants to put this chapter behind it and move forward in a positive spirit.

"The measures announced are significant, but none of the financial penalties will be retained by UEFA. They will all be reinvested into youth and grassroots football in local communities across Europe, including the UK.

"These clubs have done just that, recognised their mistakes quickly and have taken action to demonstrate their contrition and future commitment to European football.

"The same cannot be said for the clubs that remain involved in the so-called 'Super League' and UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently."

The hosts could easily have taken the lead through Casper Tengstedt just six minutes in as he struck the post after causing chaos in the box, but Inter sparked to life after that.

Joaquin Correa rattled the crossbar moments later, and then opened the scoring after 17 minutes, finishing off a lovely team move by chipping Lorenzo Montipo.

Having set up the opener, Marcus Thuram added a quick-fire double; twice in three minutes, he took the goalkeeper out of the game with clever play before picking out the back of the net.

Substitute Stefan de Vrij fired their fourth past Montipo before Yann Bisseck managed to pick out the top corner despite initially tripping over the ball in the 41st minute.

The second half was a subdued affair, though Correa almost scored another, but instead smacked the crossbar for a second time.

Inter leapfrogged Napoli, who do not play until Sunday, as they moved into first with 28 points. Verona are 14th on 12 points.

Data Debrief: Full-throttle first half

It was a pretty much perfect first half from Simone Inzaghi's side, and it gave the manager a chance to rest some key players with a Champions League tie ahead of them in midweek.

Inter scored five goals in the first half of an away league game for only the second time in their history in Serie A - after the 5-1 score against Sampdoria in the first 45 minutes of play back in March 1964.

The visitors scored with all five of their shots on target in the first period and outperformed their 2.79 expected goals (xG) by some margin.

Correa has scored in a Serie A game 756 days after his last goal in the top-flight, on 29th October 2022, against Sampdoria, at Meazza. Meanwhile, all three of his away goals have come against Verona at Bentegodi.

Vlahovic enjoyed a breakout season in 2020-21, scoring 21 Serie A goals, and his exploits have sparked reported interest from Premier League champions City and LaLiga holders Atletico.

Tottenham, Arsenal and Serie A champions Inter have also been linked with the 21-year-old Serbia international, who is contracted to Fiorentina until 2023 and valued around €70-80million (£59-68m).

Commisso remains unwilling to part with the forward sensation, at least not until the end of the 2021-22 campaign as he urged Vlahovic to re-sign in Florencia.

"I have never put Vlahovic on the market and I offered him the biggest contract in the history of Fiorentina,” Commisso told TGR RAI Toscana.

"So he should sign the renewal and then we'll see what happens next year."

Vlahovic scored seven goals in 35 minutes during a pre-season fixture, while he netted twice in Fiorentina's 4-0 Coppa Italia rout of Cosenza last week.

"Vlahovic has never been put up for sale by Fiorentina, even if everything is happening around him with agents and the clubs that want to do deals in the final stages of the transfer session," Commisso added.

"It's therefore true that there is news 'about' Vlahovic, but the right offer has never arrived. And even if it did arrive, I don't think he will leave this season."

"Look, we're talking about a lot of money here, the biggest salary package ever offered by Fiorentina," he continued.

"I am happy for him, but he needs to extend this contract, then if the lad wants to go elsewhere, we can talk about it next year. But not now.

"He has to understand and recognise that it was Rocco, his family and Fiorentina who brought him to where he is now."

Vlahovic and Fiorentina open their Serie A campaign against Jose Mourinho's Roma on Sunday.

The France forward climbed off the bench to turn home Federico Dimarco's 93rd-minute cross, and maintain the Nerazzurri's unbeaten start in this season's Champions League.

Young Boys were seeking their first point in the competition and created the better first-half opportunities, with Yann Sommer forced to deny Jaouen Hadjam and Lukasz Lakomy.

However, Inter were awarded a penalty within seconds of the restart when Hadjam was adjudged to have pushed Denzel Dumfries in the box, but David von Ballmoos guessed correctly to deny Marko Arnautovic.

The hosts then struck the woodwork just after the hour mark, with Joel Monteiro stealing possession before rattling Sommer's left post.

A stalemate appeared the likely outcome until the third minute of stoppage time, when Thuram struck to take Inter onto seven points from their opening three games.

Data Debrief: Late, late show from Inter, despite missed penalty

Despite opening with three successive Champions League clean sheets for the first time, it looked like it would be a frustrating day for Inter after Arnautovic's saved penalty.

It was the first time in five years that the Nerazzurri had failed to convert from 12 yards in the Champions League, since Lautaro Martinez was unsuccessful against Borussia Dortmund in October 2019.

However, they claimed all three points courtesy of their first ever winning goal scored in the 90th minute or later of a Champions League away game.

Timed at 92 minutes and 11 seconds, it was also the latest goal conceded in the competition by Young Boys, who have now failed to score in three successive matches for the first time.

Inter have handed Young, 34, a contract until the end of the season, though the deal includes an option for it to be extended by a further year.

The full-back underwent a medical in Milan on Friday and will hope to play an important role in the Nerazzurri's push for the Serie A title – they sit two points adrift of reigning champions Juventus at the midway point.

"Manchester United can confirm that Ashley Young has completed his transfer to Inter," read statement from the Old Trafford club.

"The 34-year-old captain, who joined in 2011, made 261 appearances for the Reds, scoring 19 goals.

"Everyone at the club would like to thank Ashley for his many seasons of service and to wish him well for the future."

The former Aston Villa star won four major trophies during his time in Manchester, including the 2012-13 Premier League title.

The England international made 41 appearances in all competitions in 2018-19 but has been used sparingly by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season.

Young has played in 12 league games, three Europa League matches and three times in domestic cup competitions.

A full-back for much of the past three seasons, his opportunities for regular first-team football have been limited by the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and the emergence of Brandon Williams as competition for Luke Shaw at left-back.

Young joins former United team-mates Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez under Antonio Conte at Inter and is the third Englishman to play for Inter.

The 34-year-old was a part of the England team that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and he is far from the only Three Lions star to try his hand in Italy's top flight.

Here, we take a look back at some of the famous English names to have sampled Serie A.

David Beckham

United and England great Beckham caused consternation among LA Galaxy fans by joining Milan on loan for the second half of the 2008-09 season. Motivated in part by his Three Lions recall and the need to retain fitness for World Cup qualifying matches, Beckham proved a hit, chipping in with two Serie A goals for the Rossoneri. He returned a year later as South Africa 2010 beckoned, but an Achilles injury ended the dream.

Ashley Cole

A 33-year-old Cole headed to Italy's top-flight following a distinguished Premier League career, so arguably provides a handy parallel for Young. However, a man who once had a solid claim on being the best left-back in world football struggled at Roma, most notably when he was substituted at half-time during a 7-1 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich with the score 5-0. After 16 appearances over the course of 18 months, Cole was released from his contract in January 2016 and joined LA Galaxy.

Joe Hart

After being jettisoned from Pep Guardiola's first-team plans at Manchester City on the eve of the 2016-17 campaign, Hart needed a quick solution. Torino were his unlikely saviours and the England goalkeeper endeared himself to supporters in Turin over the course of a season-long loan, despite some high-profile errors. It certainly proved a more successful post-City excursion than his subsequent spells at West Ham and Burnley.

Chris Smalling

If Young needs an example of a success story when swapping Old Trafford for Italy, then he need look no further than long-time colleague for club and country Smalling. Deemed surplus to requirements by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the arrival of Harry Maguire, the 30-year-old has been a revelation at Roma, performing superbly across 14 Serie A appearances and scoring twice. Smalling has made such an impression at the Stadio Olimpico that he narrowly missed out in a fan vote for Roma's team of the decade.

Micah Richards

Hart's long-time City team-mate Richards made a loan switch to Fiorentina for the 2014-15 season after falling out of favour with Manuel Pellegrini. The right-back made 19 appearances in all competitions but the injury problems that would force an early retirement aged 31 had already started to take a significant toll.

Paul Gascoigne

The breakout star of the Italia 90 World Cup, Gascoigne's move to Lazio became something of a saga – delayed by 12 months after he damaged knee ligaments launching into a wild challenge on Gary Charles during Tottenham's 1991 FA Cup final victory over Nottingham Forest. Once Gazza arrived in Rome, it was never anything but eventful. His first goal brought pandemonium as he headed a late equaliser in the derby against Roma, with moments of brilliance vying with fitness struggles thereafter. A broken leg suffered in training ruined his final season before joining Rangers in 1995.

David Platt

Platt did not have to contend with Gascoigne's goldfish bowl existence and the goalscoring midfielder carved out a fine career in Serie A. Signed by Bari a year after his breakthrough performances at Italia 90, Platt went on to earn moves to Juventus and then Sampdoria. He won the UEFA Cup at Juve and the Coppa Italia with Samp and, by the time he headed back to England to join Arsenal in 1995, Platt boasted 31 goals from 100 Serie A games.

Paul Ince

Way before Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku and Young made it cool, Paul Ince was swapping United for Inter in the mid-1990s. For two seasons from 1995-96, Ince starred for a Nerazzurri side during the early stages of its transformation under Massimo Moratti's ownership. He formed an impressive midfield partnership with Nicola Berti and had 10 goals from 54 Serie A outings before returning to the Premier League with Liverpool in 1997.

Martinez is reportedly Barca's prime transfer target as the LaLiga champions look to sign a long-term replacement for veteran forward Luis Suarez.

Also linked to Real Madrid and Manchester City, Martinez had scored 16 goals in 31 games across all competitions before the coronavirus pandemic brought sport to a standstill.

Zanetti was asked about Martinez during an Instagram Live session with former Inter striker Christian Vieri and he said: "I will be sincere. When we took him, we knew he was one of Argentina's most promising young men. 

"Now with the work of [head coach Antonio] Conte, at just 22 years old, he can give a lot. Right now here, with everything that is happening, we are not thinking about what he will do. 

"Then we'll see, but now I see him very happy here at Inter. And with Lukaku he is great."

Martinez swapped Racing Club for Inter in 2018 and he has quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after forwards in European football.

The Argentina international has scored 25 goals in total since joining Inter from Racing Club.