Paris Saint-Germain are regularly a topic of transfer speculation, with plenty of discussion around Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi recently.

But Neymar is another who has been linked with a move away from Parc des Princes in the past, having been with PSG since 2017.

The former Barcelona forward signed a contract extension in 2021 after originally joining on a five-year deal.

TOP STORY – PSG OPEN TO OFFERS FOR NEYMAR IN JANUARY

Paris Saint-Germain have put Brazil superstar Neymar up for sale, according to Fichajes.

The French champions are willing to listen to offers for the 30-year-old, who is contracted until 2025.

The report claims PSG have lowered their price to €50million, which may attract the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester City.

 

ROUND-UP

– The Mail reports Manchester United have opened talks with Monaco defender Axel Disasi, although the 24-year-old is also being tracked by a few other Premier League clubs.

– Manchester United target Mohammed Kudus has had a £40m price tag slapped on him by his Dutch club Ajax, claims The Star. The 22-year-old Ghana midfielder impressed at the World Cup.

– Real Madrid are bullish about their prospects of beating Liverpool in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, claims Marca.

– Calciomercato reports Madrid will rival Juventus in the chase to sign 18-year-old right-back Ivan Fresneda from Real Valladolid.

– Sevilla are circling to sign Sergio Ramos once his PSG contract expires at the end of this season, claims Fichajes, although he will need to take a pay cut for the move to transpire.

– Fabrizio Romano reports struggling Premier League club Southampton have agreed to a £6m deal to sign Croatia international Mislav Orsic from Dinamo Zagreb.

Mykhaylo Mudryk has informed Shakhtar Donetsk that he wants to join Arsenal amid talk of interest from Chelsea, reports 90min.

Lazio have condemned the "despicable, shameful and anachronistic" racist abuse aimed at Lecce players Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda in Wednesday's Serie A match.

Lecce's 2-1 comeback victory at Stadio Via del Mare was overshadowed by a section of Lazio fans in the away end aiming abuse towards Umtiti and Banda.

The game was halted for several minutes and a message was played over the announcer system warning the contest would not resume if the chants continued.

Umtiti's name was chanted by home fans in solidarity and the centre-back personally asked for the match to resume, though he reportedly left the field in tears at full-time.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called out the latest example of racist abuse in Italian football, coming on the day the Serie A season resumed from its near-two-month break.

In a statement released on Thursday, Lazio vowed to do everything they can to find those responsible, but they denied the club's supporters as a whole are racist.

"During the Lecce-Lazio match, the referee was forced to stop the match due to racist howls towards a player from the home team," the statement read.

"Lazio has always opposed all forms of racism and discrimination with all the means available.

"Initiatives are in place aimed at repressing these phenomena, making its fans aware of this issue and acting in the appropriate offices to protect its image.

"Even today, Lazio condemns those who have become the protagonists of this despicable, shameful and anachronistic gesture.

"We will, as always, offer the maximum collaboration to the authorities to identify those responsible. 

"Lazio fans are not racist and cannot be associated with a few individuals who seriously harm the club's image."

Ciro Immobile had given fifth-place Lazio the lead prior to Gabriel Strefezza and Lorenzo Colombo striking in the second half for Lecce, who moved up to 12th in Serie A.

Inter remain hopeful of agreeing a new contract with in-demand defender Milan Skriniar, but chief executive Giuseppe Marotta has warned the Nerazzurri "cannot do the impossible".

Skriniar, who was strongly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the last transfer window, could be set to leave San Siro on a free transfer when his contract expires in June.

Premier League sides Chelsea and Tottenham have also been touted as possible destinations for a player who reportedly attracted a PSG bid of €50million plus add-ons in August.

Key figures at Inter have repeatedly stressed the importance of agreeing fresh terms with Skriniar, but Marotta has warned there is only so much the Serie A giants can do.

"There are other teams grappling with these situations. We are negotiating a renewal with his representatives because we believe Milan deserves to be part of our staff in the present and future," Marotta told DAZN on Wednesday. 

"We presented an offer to him and hope to soon reach a conclusion.

"In life I'm always optimistic, but in this case optimism is linked to realism. We know we can do a lot, but we cannot do the impossible."

Inter made a successful return to league action on Wednesday, defeating Scudetto favourites Napoli 1-0 at San Siro to move into Serie A's top four – and within eight points of the summit.

However, the Nerazzurri's supporters should not expect a plethora of mid-season arrivals to boost their title hopes, with Marotta outlining the difficulties of the January transfer window.

"In the winter transfer window, you don't always find correct valuations; there aren't always opportunities that are up to the standards of the current squad," he added.

"The team right now is satisfying and we have the utmost respect for them, then we'll see if there are any opportunities."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino called on football fans to "stand up and shut up all the racists once and for all" after Samuel Umtiti and Lecce team-mate Lameck Banda were subjected to abuse.

Lecce's 2-1 comeback win over Lazio at Stadio Via del Mare on Wednesday was overshadowed by a section of Lazio fans in the away end aiming racist abuse towards Umtiti and Banda.

The match was halted for several minutes by referee Livio Marinelli and a message was played over the announcer system warning the match would not resume if the chants continued.

Home supporters chanted Umtiti's name in solidarity and he asked for the match to resume, but the Barcelona loanee reportedly left the field in tears at full-time.

"Umtiti asked for the game to resume because he wanted to respond to the insults he received on the pitch. He reacted like a true champion," Lecce president Saverio Sticchi Damiani said after the match.

Lecce condemned the racist abuse in a statement on Wednesday and Umtiti posted a message of his own on social media that read: "Only football, fun, joy. The rest doesn't count."

Umtiti received supportive replies from the likes of Jerome Boateng, Naby Sarr and Alexandre Lacazette, while FIFA chief Infantino also offered his backing for the centre-back and Zambia international Banda.

"Solidarity with Samuel Umtiti and Lameck Banda – let's shout it loud and clear: No to racism," he wrote alongside photos of Umtiti and Banda in action.

"May the huge majority of fans, who are good people, stand up and shut up all the racists once and for all."

The unsavoury incident came on the first day of Serie A action following a near-two-month break for the World Cup.

Lecce's victory, secured thanks to goals from Gabriel Strefezza and Lorenzo Colombo after Ciro Immobile had given Lazio the lead, moved them up to 12th in Serie A.

Inter's desire to "win at all costs" against Napoli helped them to end the Serie A leaders' unbeaten start, explained head coach Simone Inzaghi.

Napoli had won 11 straight Serie A games prior to the World Cup break as they headed into Wednesday's meeting with Inter at San Siro holding an 11-point lead over their hosts.

But a superb performance from Inzaghi's men was capped with a 56th-minute headed winner from Edin Dzeko as Inter picked up valuable points in their hunt for a 20th Serie A title.

Inzaghi was delighted with his team's display after the game, and cited their resolute mentality as a key reason for the 1-0 victory.

"Inter were organised and wanted to win at all costs," Inzaghi told reporters. "I have to congratulate the guys on the pitch, they helped each other with haste and determination.

"Tonight I bring the happiness of the victory to dedicate to the fans."

Inzaghi chose to start a front two of Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, before the pair were replaced at a goal up by Joaquin Correa and returning World Cup hero Lautaro Martinez.

The Inter head coach is a big fan of the options he has in attack, saying: "There are four, my wish is to have them all available. I have some intelligent boys. Playing every three days, I will have the opportunity to change it."

Inzaghi hoped the victory over Napoli would spur his team on as they look to close the eight-point deficit to the summit, having now won three consecutive Serie A matches.

"We must continue like this," Inzaghi told DAZN. "Tonight is a great injection of confidence.

"I'm proud of my boys, it's a pleasure to see them like this. We had a great match but we have to continue like this.

"In the league we lost points initially, but it's still a long way [to go]. We have to think match-by-match."

Napoli have scored a league-leading 37 goals this Serie A season, but they were restricted to just two shots on target by Inter as the likes of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were kept quiet.

Partenopei head coach Luciano Spalletti lamented his side's poor attacking output at San Siro, saying at his post-match news conference: "We were below all our offensive qualities.

"We can do more both as an offensive department and how to prepare the offensive department for important plays. We passed the ball around well in some stretches, but we were not very incisive.

"We need more personality and strength, we have these qualities. I didn't like the fact that we were shy in some moments."

An Edin Dzeko header was enough for Inter to beat Napoli 1-0 at San Siro on Wednesday and end the Serie A leaders' unbeaten start to the season.

After their closest challengers Milan beat Salernitana away earlier the same day, Napoli's lead at the top was cut to five points as the Partenopei began 2023 in underwhelming fashion.

Inter were unfortunate not to be ahead at the break after Federico Dimarco and Romelu Lukaku missed great first-half opportunities.

But Dzeko powerfully nodded home the winner 10 minutes after half-time, as Inter remain in fourth but crucially move within eight points of Napoli at the summit in their bid to chase Luciano Spalletti's side down.

Inter should have been ahead within four minutes, but Dimarco could only fire over after Lukaku picked him out at the back post.

Dimarco's fellow wing-back could not do any better, Matteo Darmian failing to hit the target after excellent link-up play between Lukaku and Dzeko set him up.

Lukaku missed a golden opportunity before the break, latching onto a throughball but wildly firing over as Inter failed to take advantage of their superior chances in the opening 45 minutes.

But they eventually capitalised in the 56th minute when Dimarco's pinpoint delivery from the left found Dzeko in space to power a header past Alex Meret.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia nearly got a rapid equaliser as he slammed into the side-netting.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser late on, but Inter held out despite Giacomo Raspadori stinging the palms of Andre Onana with a fierce effort in the dying seconds.

Massimiliano Allegri acknowledges Juventus have room for improvement despite securing a seventh consecutive Serie A victory.

Arkadiusz Milik's late free-kick saw off Cremonese to extend the Bianconeri's winning run in a 1-0 victory that also marked seven games in a row without conceding.

While Allegri's side have been strong defensively, they have fallen below expectations in the attacking third – scoring just five goals in eight away matches in Serie A this term – and the Juventus coach is aware of the need to improve.

"Juve has a very important squad. At this stage, important young players came out," he told a post-match press conference.

"There are reasons to be happy, there is work to be done and to think that there is only room for improvement. The market is there if needed. At the moment, the Juventus squad is fine like this."

Juventus' hard-fought victory over Cremonese saw Allegri shuffle his deck in the second half, which ultimately proved decisive for Milik's late winner, and he praised the displays of his substitutes.

"We had five difficult minutes, then the game came back into our hands and Milik scored a great goal," he added, "I had important players on the bench and they did well.

"Chiesa came in well, [Adrien] Rabiot the same, [Leandro] Paredes did better as a winger. [Samuel] Iling-Junior came in well, [Moise] Kean, too. These changes on the bench are very important."

Allegri has further reasons to be positive amid the winning run with the quality of players due to return from injury – one of which is World Cup winner Angel di Maria, who has returned to training.

"Today he trained, he looks better," Allegri said, "Angel is extraordinary, he has extraordinary qualities.

"Unfortunately, he has taken this blow and we hope to have him available soon. Like [Paul] Pogba, [Dusan] Vlahovic and [Juan] Cuadrado. Everyone is needed."

Juventus host Udinese on Saturday, before then turning attention to what could be a crucial game on the road against Serie A leaders Napoli the following week.

Juventus extended their winning run to seven successive Serie A matches after a dramatic 1-0 triumph at Cremonese.

Arkadiusz Milik hit a late winner for the Bianconeri at the end of a match in which winless Cremonese had created the better of the chances.

The Serie A strugglers were twice frustrated by the officials in the first half, while Cyriel Dessers then struck the post in the second period.

But Milik's free-kick crept past Marco Carnesecchi for another victory that moved Juve to within seven points of leaders Napoli ahead of their clash with Inter.

Rafael Leao is central to Milan's fortunes, with Sandro Tonali confident he will remain despite reported significant interest in him.

The Portugal international inspired his side to a first win of 2023, scoring the opener in their 2-1 victory over Salernitana in Serie A.

His goal comes amid increased speculation Leao will be the subject of several big-money bids during the January transfer window.

Real Madrid and Chelsea have both been linked with moves for the forward, but Tonali believes the player's love for Milan will see him stay at San Siro.

"He's always been at the centre of the project here," he told DAZN. "He does not think about the transfer market.

"He's a Milan player, and he wants to stay with us. We saw it after he scored. We just have to keep him close and love him."

The win moved Stefano Pioli's side five points off league leaders Napoli, with the latter set to face Inter on Wednesday.

The gap to the Partenopei this season has seen suggestions Milan's Scudetto defence is already at an end, but Tonali has vowed they will not quit until the title race is done.

"We have to try, we want to repeat," he added. "It's not easy to win it and then defend it, but we have to do it because we are strong and it's one of our goals."

Milan next return home to San Siro to face Roma, in what will be another major test of their credentials, before they are then in Coppa Italia action against Torino.

Milan held off a late Salernitana fightback to make a winning start to 2023 as a 2-1 victory kept them in pursuit of Serie A leaders Napoli.

First-half goals from Rafael Leao and Sandro Tonali looked to have been more than enough for Stefano Pioli's side to begin the new year with a comfortable win.

But Federico Bonazzoli's late finish set up a nervy finale at Stadio Arechi, with the Rossoneri just about able to hold their nerve and secure the three points.

Having survived a relegation battle last season, Salernitana came close to a major scalp and Davide Nicola will take heart from their late rally against the Scudetto holders.

The visitors did not have to wait long for the opener, with Leao rounding Guillermo Ochoa in the 10th minute to slide in a low finish after latching onto Tonali's looped pass.

Tonali got in on the act himself only five minutes later, Brahim Diaz pouncing after Ochoa's save and nudging it back for the midfielder to power home.

A chance to make it a three-goal lead was scuffed shortly after the restart, when Olivier Giroud tapped a shot straight to the goalkeeper.

That miss looked like it might come back to haunt Milan when Salernitana found an unexpected response heading into the closing stages through Bonazzoli's close-range finish.

But the hosts were unable to find a second to force a result as the Rossoneri hung on to take a win crucial to their ambitions of defending their title.

Bayern Munich, Newcastle United and Chelsea are reportedly all interested in promising Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Meslier, 22, arrived at Elland Road on loan as a 19-year-old in 2019, forcing his way into the starting role as they won the Championship and earned promotion before the club made his deal permanent for £5million.

Since then, he has become the youngest goalkeeper to reach 50 Premier League appearances, and the youngest goalkeeper to tally 10 Premier League clean sheets, earning 11 caps for France's under-21 team in the process.

His exploits – including a season-high nine saves in a 2-1 win against Liverpool in October – have caught the eye of some of Europe's big spenders, and Leeds could be forced into a tough decision sooner rather than later.

 

TOP STORY – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPEFULS QUEUE UP FOR LEEDS' MESLIER

According to RMC Sport, Bayern view Meslier as a potential long-term successor to Manuel Neuer, although they need the reinforcements as soon as possible due to Neuer's season-ending injury.

Leeds will be in the driver's seat in negotiations, however, with Meslier's contract tying him to the club until 2026.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Newcastle have been impressed with his performances in the Premier League and would like to add him to their ranks.

It was reported two weeks ago by the Daily Mail that Eduoard Mendy had rejected a six-year contract extension from Chelsea, which would add fuel to this fire, while it is unclear how Newcastle view Nick Pope in their long-term plans.

 

ROUND-UP

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting Bayern, Newcastle, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain will all make a run at signing 21-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone at the end of the season.

– According to The Times, Brentford are in the final stages of a £22m move for 21-year-old Freiburg forward Kevin Schade.

Chelsea will make a late charge for 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger and Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk, per Fabrizio Romano.

– Calciomercato is reporting 24-year-old Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has turned down transfers to Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the hope of landing at a bigger club.

– According to The Athletic, Manchester United could still sell right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka this month despite starting in all three of United's wins since the Premier League season resumed.

Most football seasons carry a degree of unpredictability; that's just the nature of sport.

But it's certainly arguable that this season is among the least predictable in living memory due to the unique timing of the World Cup, which took place across November and December for the first time.

In Italy, Napoli would've presumably been the team most frustrated by the timing of Qatar 2022. On course for a first Scudetto since 1990 and the days of Diego Maradona, the Partenopei had been head and shoulders above the rest in Serie A before the World Cup and among the most eye-catching sides in Europe.

They'd lost just once – a 2-0 Champions League defeat at Liverpool – and won all but three matches across all competitions prior to the season's break. So, the key question facing them now is, can momentum survive a two-month hiatus?

The next 10 days or so will give us a fairly clear indication of just how good Napoli are.

Napoli's testing return

Napoli return to action in 2023 with one of the most-anticipated games of the season. Not only are their title credentials set for a thorough examination, but Inter could do with a positive result to kick-start their season.

Simone Inzaghi's men sit fifth, 11 points behind Napoli. A spell of four defeats in six Serie A games between August and October gave Inter an uphill struggle right from the early weeks of the season.

They recovered, to an extent, but did also lose to Juventus in early November. You'd have to think their chances of regaining the title they won in 2021, but relinquished to city rivals Milan last season, will disappear into the realms of impossibility if they are beaten on Wednesday.

Some might even suggest that's the case already. After all, Stats Perform's AI prediction model gives them only a 4.3 per cent chance of finishing the season top – though that is at least higher than the two teams directly above them.

It's not just this Inter clash that Napoli fans will have on their minds, however.

They host bitter rivals Juventus on January 13, and like Inter, the Bianconeri will also still harbour title hopes. That's assuming they don't suffer the unlikely fate of losing to Udinese – whose form tailed off after an incredible start – and winless Cremonese in the interim.

Perhaps all this talk of the title is a bit daft when you consider Napoli's clash with Juve won't even be the halfway point of the season: there remains a long way to go.

However, when a team has been as good as Napoli were before the World Cup, it's only normal to start considering how many more opportunities their rivals have.

Inter potentially have a joker in the pack, though.

Romelu's redemption?

It's been a difficult 18 months for Romelu Lukaku. His highly anticipated return to Chelsea was underwhelming, to say the least, and resulted in him making his way back to Inter.

"It's like coming home," he said. But injuries restricted the 29-year-old to just four appearances in Serie A before the World Cup, therefore Italy is very much still waiting for the real Lukaku to return.

In fact, the world is still waiting. Let's not forget, Lukaku did feature for Belgium in Qatar but did little to rebuild his fractured reputation.

Granted, injuries again limited his involvement but that performance against Croatia as Belgium were knocked out at the group stage was remarkable. He had five shots equalling 1.7 expected goals (xG), including three absolute sitters, yet he failed to convert any.

But if Lukaku does get back to anything like what he showed during his previous spell in San Siro, there's every reason to expect a slightly different Inter between now and the end of the season.

During those two campaigns with the Nerazzurri, Lukaku's haul of 47 league goals was bettered by only four players across the top five leagues. Similarly, his 35 non-penalty (np) strikes was only slightly above his np-xG (33.1 – also the fifth-highest in the top five leagues), which supports the idea he was dependable without being regularly lucky.

Of course, Antonio Conte's system at Inter was what many considered key in Lukaku's improvement. His pace, strength and running power – helped of course by his finishing ability – made the Belgian almost unplayable in a transition-based side.

Chelsea never saw the same player partly because Thomas Tuchel is a more possession-orientated coach; those opportunities to release Lukaku in behind defences just weren't as frequent and he arguably isn't technically good enough to be a key player in such a setup.

As such, Inzaghi was aware he'd have to change his tactics somewhat to adjust to Lukaku this season – this will be tested to the max over the coming weeks, and its success will likely determine Inter's campaign one way or the other.

Milan have signed goalkeeper Devis Vasquez from Club Guarani with Mike Maignan still out of action.

The 24-year-old Colombian completed his medical on Monday, with his departure from the Paraguayan club for San Siro confirmed on Tuesday.

Vasquez has signed a deal with the Serie A champions until June 2026 and his arrival comes with Maignan still absent due to a calf injury that ruled the France international out of the World Cup

Rossoneri head coach Stefano Pioli revealed he is not expecting Maignan to be fit for the foreseeable future.

Asked ahead of Wednesday's Serie A clash with Salernitana whether he had a timeframe for Maignan's return, he said: "At this moment no, the evaluations we are making tell us that it is not possible to force now and therefore I do not know how to give a timing on the return. Not soon, I can say that for sure."

Vasquez joins Antonio Mirante and Ciprian Tatarusanu in competing for a starting berth in Maignan's absence.

Stefano Pioli has made it clear Inter's clash with Napoli is not "decisive" in the Serie A title race, with his focus remaining on Milan running their own race.

The champions will resume the season eight points behind Napoli and will be hoping for assistance from their city rivals in their quest to close the gap when they face the leaders at San Siro on Wednesday

Head coach Pioli says Milan must focus on their own game following a break for the World Cup.

"We don't have to race anyone but ourselves. To win the championship you will need more than 85 points," he told a press conference ahead of Wednesday's clash against Salernitana.

"We have the chance to do better than last year, but we have to push hard. I think it is very correct not to go too far with those thoughts, but to think about tomorrow, when we will find a warm environment and a tough opponent: that's what we need to start well.

"[Inter versus Napoli is] important yes, not decisive. We don't think about the other games. Let's focus on our stuff and then see. We are the first to play: what matters is our race."

Milan's quest for silverware is not solely focused on Serie A though, with the Supercoppa Italiana later this month presenting Pioli's side with their first chance to lift a trophy, while they are also still competing in the Champions League and Coppa Italia.

"We are in the race on four fronts, and it is certain that we want to win something. We wrote history last year, but in history we want to stay, by winning," he added.

"If we want to consider ourselves a winning team, we have to win something again this year.

"I saw a report on [Rafael] Leao: many goals and assists, but titles won, one. We need to do more. We have four options to do that."

Luciano Spalletti has praised Santos for not retiring Pele's number 10 shirt and hopes Napoli now do the same with Diego Maradona's famous jersey.

Santos announced on Sunday they had dropped plans to leave the number vacant following last week's death of club legend Pele, who previously said he was against the idea.

Napoli retired Maradona's number 10 in 2000, 20 years before his death, as a tribute to the Argentina great's starring role in their only two Serie A title triumphs.

But Spalletti believes making the shirt available again can inspire Napoli's current crop of players, who are on course to end the club's 33-year wait for Scudetto glory.

"I want to congratulate those who decided not to retire Pele's number 10, meeting his request," Spalletti said at a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

"When you retire a shirt, you no longer see it. Pele's number should be shown as many times as possible. Congratulations to those who didn't retire the number 10."

Asked directly about Maradona's retired number 10 shirt, Spalletti said: "I think it's correct to wear the number of great players.

"Seeing it every day gives more responsibility to those wearing it and also to their team-mates, who would be motivated to reach that level."

Napoli return to action after the World Cup break with an eight-point lead over Milan at the top of Serie A, having dropped just four points from their opening 14 matches.

The Partenopei have won each of their past 11 Serie A matches – the last team to register a longer streak was Juventus between December 2017 and March 2018 (12 wins).

 

Spalletti's side face a tough test on Wednesday at fifth-place Inter, whom they have lost their past four league matches against at San Siro.

While a first Scudetto since the days of Maradona is in sight, Spalletti insists he is not obsessed by finishing top.

"The Scudetto is your obsession, not mine," he told reporters. "My obsession is to see this city explode in joy. 

"We have an awareness of what we have done on the pitch. We'll face a great team. We'll play our brand of football which has given benefits to the team.

"Inter are a top team. Over the last three and a half years, they've made investments worthy of a top European club."

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