Barcelona president Joan Laporta is known to be desperate for Lionel Messi to finish his career at his long-time club.

The 35-year-old Argentine forward departed Camp Nou hastily in August last year due to Barcelona's financial issues.

Messi joined the Blaugrana in 2000 and had an association with the club for more than two decades, scoring 672 goals across 778 first-team appearances.

TOP STORY – LAPORTA PLOTTING JANUARY MOVE FOR MESSI

Laporta is planning a move for Barcelona club legend Lionel Messi in the January transfer window, according to Sport.

The report states that Barcelona want to take advantage of the Fair Play situation in January, rather than wait for the off-season where the 1/4 rule will make any move more difficult.

However, Laporta's plan is full of obstacles for the Blaugrana to overcome, not least LaLiga's financial restraints, along with convincing Messi and his current club Paris Saint-Germain to part midway through the season.

Messi has publicly said he has deferred any decisions on his club or international future until after the World Cup.

ROUND-UP

– Sporting CP head coach Ruben Amorim may have distanced the club from links with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in midweek but The Mirror reports that the Portuguese club will make a bid for him in January.

– Brighton and Hove Albion are open to selling Moises Caicedo amid interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United but have slapped a £85m price tag on the 20-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder, reports the Sunday Mirror.

– The Express claims that Arsenal are leading the race ahead of Manchester United to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans. The Belgian could move to the Gunners for free, as he is out of contract at the end of the season and unlikely to pen a new deal.

– Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante - whose contract is also up at the end of June 2023 - is a major target for Barcelona who are looking at replacements for veteran Sergio Busquets, reports Relevo.

– Sport claims Barcelona are looking to offload Memphis Depay in January, with Juventus interested in signing the Dutch attacker.

– Wolves are set to approach ex-Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui again, having failed to convince him previously to become their new manager, claims The Sun.

Simone Inzaghi labelled Inter's October "almost perfect" after they cruised to a 3-0 Serie A win over Sampdoria.

Inter made it seven games without defeat in all competitions, of which they have won six, with a routine victory at San Siro.

Stefan de Vrij, Nicolo Barella and Joaquin Correa found the net to seal the points for Inter, whose next domestic assignment is a Derby d'Italia visit to Juventus.

And Inzaghi is delighted with the form in which they will approach that crucial fixture.

"The team is in good shape, feels confident, is putting together convincing victories, but we must continue," Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia.

"We saw nobody is slowing down in Serie A, but our October was almost perfect.

"I really enjoy watching this team play. We have the right shape, we know what we want to do, I’m bringing back players who had been injured, we’re still missing [Marcelo] Brozovic.

"When a coach has options to choose from, that is always good.”

Inter are fifth, eight points adrift of leaders Napoli, and Inzaghi suggested it is too early in the season to know whether they can bridge that gap and challenge to regain the Scudetto.

"We need to check the fixture list from here to the break for the World Cup, there are some tough games, but having said that it's early days in the season," added Inzaghi.

"We made mistakes, the others are all going at a great pace, we've also got Bayern Munich coming up on Tuesday [in the Champions League] and need to put in a strong performance."

Nicolo Barella maintained his impressive goalscoring form as Inter eased to a 3-0 victory over Sampdoria on Saturday to make it four Serie A wins in a row.

Simone Inzaghi's side have put their early-season struggles behind them with this their seventh match without defeat in all competitions, six of those ending in victory.

Midfielder Barella rounded off a route-one move to double Inter's advantage at San Siro before half-time after Stefan de Vrij had opened the scoring with a header.

Inter, who brought on Romelu Lukaku for his first league appearance since August, added another goal through a superb Joaquin Correa solo effort to seal an emphatic victory.

De Vrij sent a bullet header past Emil Audero with 22 minutes played for his first goal of the season after being picked out by Hakan Calhanoglu from a corner.

Inter continued to dominate and had a second goal just before the interval when Barella controlled a long pass from Alessandro Bastoni and powered a shot past Audero.

Inzaghi introduced the returning Lukaku and Correa in the second half and it took the latter just five minutes to add his name to the scoresheet against his former side.

Argentina international Correa carried the ball from one penalty area to the other and curled in a third goal for the hosts to round off the scoring.

Massimiliano Allegri hailed Nicolo Fagioli's "great quality" after the young Juventus midfielder hit a stunning goal to earn a 1-0 victory at Lecce.

If head coach Allegri was feeling mounting pressure during a tense, largely drab game at the Stadio Via del Mare, that was lifted at least briefly when substitute Fagioli whipped a brilliant strike past Wladimiro Falcone.

The 73rd-minute winner means Juventus have strung together three consecutive victories and clean sheets in Serie A for the first time since February 2021. 

Those wins have come against Torino, Empoli and Lecce, rather than the elite, but with Juventus mired in injury trouble any win is welcome just now as they cling to top-four aspirations.

They are heading out of the Champions League and may even fall short of parachuting into the Europa League, with Allegri's second season of his second spell in charge not going to plan.

Yet amid the gloom, a new hero emerged. Fagioli became the first player born in 2001 onwards to score for Juventus in Serie A, with the 21-year-old settling a game that would otherwise not have lived long in the memory.

Indeed, the total expected goals (xG) tally for Saturday's game was just 0.81, taking both teams into account.

The xG metric considers the quality of a team's chances and their likelihood of scoring, and this combined tally was the lowest of all matches so far in Serie A this season.

For the winner, Samuel Iling had been on the field for just 41 seconds when he fed a short pass to the roving Fagioli, who turned sharply and fired from the left of goal into the top far corner.

"Nicolo has great quality," Allegri told DAZN. "His path was particular. He was a bit bastardised in the role, and he still has to learn to play in front of the defence because he never did it, but Iling was also very good in assisting. All the guys were good."

Juventus are missing a string of stars due to injury, including Dusan Vlahovic, Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa, and it was a much-weakened side that faced Lecce, Allegri deploying more youngsters than is ideal.

Fagioli came on for the start of the second half in place of Weston McKennie, who had been poor before the break.

"The idea was to send Fagioli to the pitch during the game when their intensity dropped," Allegri said. "In football and in life you get up. Everything can not always go wrong, nor always is everything well.

"And just when things go wrong you have to be mentally strong and be good at weathering the storm. Healthy madness must always be maintained, only rationality does not make its way."

Home captain Morten Hjulmand hit the foot of the left post in the closing moments with a skidding shot from 20 yards, Lecce's best effort of the game in which they failed to put a shot on target.

The result will come as a relief to all involved at Juventus, including vice-president Pavel Nedved, who said ahead of the game that Allegri continues to have the club's full support.

Italian media have speculated Juventus could look to bring Antonio Conte back to the club at the end of the season, when his Tottenham contract expires.

However, Nedved offered some reassurance regarding the board's backing, telling DAZN before kick-off: "Our position does not change: Allegri has the full confidence of the club and of the players themselves.

"I think it is normal that when the results do not arrive many names come up and many others will come out, but I repeat our position does not change."

Nicolo Fagioli lit up a drab game with a classy winner for Juventus as Massimiliano Allegri's team scrambled a 1-0 victory at Lecce on Saturday.

The substitute made the breakthrough in the 73rd minute, turning in the penalty area after a short pass from the left flank by Samuel Iling before curling an exquisite shot in off the far post.

Juventus had all the pressure leading up to that, but they rarely threatened a breakthrough, with an injury-hit team playing with little confidence.

Amid their Champions League group-stage failure, this result, however scrappily it was obtained, gives Juventus a third successive win and clean sheet in Serie A.

The quality was poor in the opening half hour, but the tackles were thunderous at times, with four early bookings for the Juventus quartet of Juan Cuadrado, Federico Gatti, Arkadiusz Milik and Fabio Miretti.

Cuadrado, captaining the injury-weakened visitors, slashed a cross-shot well wide, before Adrien Rabiot's ambitious 30-yard attempt in the 32nd minute fizzed along the turf into the grateful arms of Wladimiro Falcone.

Rabiot had the best chance of the half in the 43rd minute, with his powerful header from Filip Kostic's left-wing corner pushed aside by Falcone, whose goal was coming under a growing threat.

Lecce, having won just four of their previous 32 Serie A matches against Juventus, carried next to no threat before the interval and last season's Serie B champions were almost behind early in the second half when Gatti's header from a free-kick nearly gave Milik a tap-in.

It was a game that was almost interesting, nearly distracting. A flick from Milik was gathered by Falcone as Cuadrado closed in, then Milik had a low shot from 20 yards that the goalkeeper had to dive to palm away.

Juventus substitute Moise Kean headed meekly wide when he should probably have scored, and Gatti nodded over, before Fagioli, on since the start of the second half, made his decisive contribution.

Lecce captain Morten Hjulmand hit the post with a skidding shot in the 89th minute as the visitors clung on.

Stefano Pioli believes Milan are capable of going beyond the 85-point mark in Serie A and insists that is the target as a title battle with Napoli looms.

There are other teams who could also be a factor, but Napoli are the side who have made a flying start, and defending champions Milan were their closest challengers heading into this weekend.

The Rossoneri head coach says it is not essential that his team head the table when the World Cup break comes around next month, but he is wary of letting Napoli build any sort of substantial lead.

Luciano Spalletti's team have already beaten Milan this season, which remains the only league defeat suffered by Pioli's men through 11 rounds of games.

On Sunday, Milan head to Torino, and they only managed a goalless draw in the corresponding game last season.

With only three more Serie A matchdays remaining after this weekend before the World Cup leads to a seven-week pause, Pioli wants Milan to go into the interval on a high.

"We started at the beginning of the season with two objectives: to be as advanced as possible in the league on November 13 and to overcome the group in the Champions League," Pioli said.

Milan will have achieved the second of those aims if they avoid defeat to Salzburg at San Siro on Wednesday, as the games come thick and fast.

"We have many important games in a few days, but the team are doing well," Pioli said. "I have players who are available and strong.

"I will field those who I consider appropriate to win these challenges. Tomorrow is the most important, we are prepared to face it in the best possible way.

"We need to score as many points as possible. It will not be decisive to be first on November 13, but you have to get above 85 points. The more games you win now, the better."

It is not always the case, but passing 85 points is usually enough to land a Scudetto. The last team to top that mark but miss out on the title were Napoli in the 2017-18 season, when they posted 91 but finished four points behind Juventus.

Milan accumulated 86 points last term to pip Inter by two points.

Torino sit 10th in the table, and Pioli said Milan would need to show "quality and personality" on Sunday, predicting heavy pressure from the hosts.

"We want to give continuity by looking for a streak of results as long as possible. Napoli are doing very well and winning on Sunday would be important," Pioli said.

Brahim Diaz, who scored twice in the 4-1 win over Monza last weekend before being substituted with a muscle injury, has been passed fit for the game in Turin.

Chelsea are reportedly the latest Premier League club to signal their interest in 25-year-old Inter striker Lautaro Martinez.

Martinez, who has also scored 21 senior goals for Argentina in 40 international appearances, is coming off a career-best season in the Serie A.

He set a new personal-best with 21 league goals in 35 games in 2021-22, and has started this season in similar fashion, netting six times in 11 Serie A fixtures.

Martinez also showed his quality with a goal and an assist in the dramatic 3-3 Champions League draw against Barcelona.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA LOOK TO INTER FOR STRIKER SOLUTION

According to InterLive, what separates Chelsea's chances from Martinez's other Premier League suitors is their potential to include current loanee Romelu Lukaku in their bid.

The report states Inter's starting point for an acceptable price tag will be €90million, which is what Tottenham are said to have offered before the beginning of last season.

Tottenham are one of the other Premier League teams named in the report, while Manchester United and Newcastle United have previously been connected with a pursuit of Martinez.

Inter will have all the leverage in any negotiations, with Martinez's contract tying him to the club until 2026.

ROUND-UP

– De Telegraaf claims PSV are in such a dire financial situation that they will be forced to accept a €30m bid for 23-year-old breakout star Cody Gakpo. 

– According to Calciomercato, Arsenal, Newcastle and West Ham are all circling 21-year-old Midtjylland winger Gustav Isaksen.

– Diario Sport is reporting Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to land prized 16-year-old Palmeiras prospect Endrick, while Real Madrid are also said to be all-in, and Barcelona may turn their attention to more pressing matters.

– Spezia are looking for €30m to part ways with 22-year-old centre-back Jakub Kiwior, with Milan, Juventus and West Ham said to have strong interest, per Tuttomercatoweb.

– The Chronicle is reporting Newcastle are weighing up a move for 18-year-old winger Eguinaldo, who plays for Vasco Da Gama in the Brazilian second division and has a £26m release clause in his contract.

Former Napoli defender Massimo Tarantino does not believe he is a hero, despite stepping in to halt the man responsible for multiple stabbings at a supermarket near Milan.

One person died and Monza's on-loan Arsenal defender Pablo Mari was among five who were injured during a terrifying incident on Thursday.

A suspect was arrested after he was disarmed by Tarantino, who has explained what prompted him to step in.

He told Stats Perform: "I was with my wife and daughter, we were at the till. We were putting the stuff on the checkout belt, and we realised [that something was going on], because there were very loud screams. We all kind of stopped at the tills, trying to figure out what was going on.

"But then there were more screams, one after the other in the space of a few seconds. At that point, the whole supermarket was kind of frozen, trying to figure out what was going on.

"After a few seconds, from one of the aisles right next to our till, someone came out who was probably one of those who had been stabbed; he was shouting for help and had blood all over his shirt. At that point there was a bit of panic, because people were clearly running away as they couldn't understand what had happened.

"After a few more seconds, another man came out. It was the person with the knife who was unfortunately aiming at the tills where I was with my wife and child. There wasn't much distance from that lane to the tills, about fifteen metres. So the instinctive reaction was to push my wife and daughter away and run.

"He was already almost there [close to me]. But in front of me there was this other employee who was between me and him, and he got stabbed. In the stabbing, they probably both lost their balance and fell into the checkout shelves where all the sweets are. Then I had the instinct not to run away.

"I had taken a step back, but I didn't run away and took advantage of the fact he was on the ground. I kicked him in the hand where he held the knife, and at that point he lost it, but it wasn't too far away, so I quickly ducked down and threw it far away and immobilised him. At that point he had no reaction.

"All of this happening in an atmosphere of terror, with blood on the ground. A bit of a strange atmosphere."

In spite of his actions, Tarantino – who played for Napoli between 1989 and 1996 and coincidentally also had a loan spell with Monza during his career – refused to be labelled a hero.

"No, I don't feel it belongs to me [this role] and I'm also a bit uncomfortable [with it]," he said. "I think heroes are other people. There are definitely people who do things that are impossible to do. They deserve, perhaps, that recognition.

"I, again, just found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and maybe instinctively decided to make the right choice, but nothing more than that."

The 51-year-old said his instinct was to "protect my family" and insisted it was not something he thought a great deal about at the time, adding: "I think these are irrational moments. I didn't think, I didn't reason. I just saw this person heading towards us.

"I think the first instinct is to protect my family, so I just had the instinct to move them away, to get them away, to run away. Immediately after he stabbed the employee, so a metre and a half away from me, my first reaction was to move one step back; but afterwards my instinct probably didn't make me run away, but told me that maybe that was the ideal moment to help.

"So I didn't go back, and I kicked this person in the hand holding the knife. But again, these things are irrational. When I think about it, it wasn't a calculated, intentional thing, it was just an instinctive reaction."

Tarantino confirmed he and his family are fine after the ordeal, though reiterated sympathy for those who were harmed.

"Yes, luckily for us it went well, unlike others; but we all came back home uninjured," he said. "On the one hand we're happy; on the other, I repeat, we're still sorry for everyone who unfortunately got caught up in this.

"The only message I have is that I want to wish the best of luck to all the people who suffered this physical assault and who have to deal with this problem right now.

"Then I think that all the other people, probably like me, like my wife and daughter, have had a bad night, a huge scare, and I hope that they, all of us, will get over it as quickly as possible.

"But the biggest wish goes out to all the people who suffered this physical attack; and I feel a huge sorrow for the family of the person who didn't make it."

Mari stated that he and his family are "fine" after the Spanish defender underwent back surgery following the attack.

Pablo Mari says he and his family are "fine" and the on-loan Monza defender expressed his gratitude for the support he has received after being stabbed on Thursday.

The Spaniard, who joined Monza from Arsenal on a season-long deal in August, is expected to be out of action for at least two months after undergoing back surgery following the horrific attack in a supermarket near Milan.

One person died and a suspect was arrested after being disarmed, with former Napoli footballer Massimo Tarantino named as being among those who stopped the assault.

Mari stated on Friday that he felt lucky to be alive before posting a picture of himself and his wife giving the thumbs up in hospital on Instagram.

The 29-year-old wrote: "After the hard moment we experienced yesterday, both my family and I want to communicate that fortunately we are all fine despite the circumstances.

"We want to thank all the messages of support and affection that we are receiving.

"In addition, we want to send our condolences and all our strength to the family and friends of the deceased person, and we sincerely wish that all injured people recover as soon as possible."

Massimiliano Allegri wants Juventus to channel their Champions League "anger" and show the rest of Serie A they remain a force to be reckoned with.

Under-pressure head coach Allegri said Juventus would "play an unspectacular game if necessary" on Saturday to get the better of Lecce.

After recent wins over Torino and Empoli, Juventus are looking for a third Serie A victory on the bounce, but results in Europe have been dreadful by comparison, with defeats to Maccabi Haifa and Benfica dumping the Bianconeri out at the Champions League group stage.

Italian media have not been slow to link Tottenham boss Antonio Conte with a return to Juventus, possibly at the end of the season when the former Italy coach's contract expires at Spurs, though the Premier League club do have an option to extend that agreement.

But Allegri wants to prove his Juventus are not a busted flush, and a long streak of league wins would be timely, possibly for the 55-year-old's job security.

The last time the Bianconeri won three league games in a row without conceding was back in February 2021, but winning 1-0 at Torino and 4-0 at home to Empoli last weekend has set up that possibility.

Now Lecce stand in Juve's way, and Allegri said: "We have to react after the elimination from the Champions League and carry the anger with us throughout the Serie A season.

"We will have to play an unspectacular game if necessary. Up to now Lecce has always kept the games in the balance, we know the importance of tomorrow's match, we will have to take it on as a team, with great consistency."

He will be without striker Dusan Vlahovic due to injury, while midfielder Manuel Locatelli misses out for personal reasons, with Allegri taking a 19-player group.

Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba are not ready to return from their injury lay-offs, while Allegri was unsure whether he would field young midfielders Nicolo Fagioli and Fabio Miretti.

Juventus have 19 points from 11 games, losing twice, and they trail leaders Napoli by 10 points.

Their next Serie A assignment, after this weekend, is a clash with improving Inter.

The Lecce game is far from a formality, but Juventus have lost only four of 32 previous Serie A encounters with the team from the Salento peninsula.

"Right now we have to do something more to get out of this situation," Allegri said, quoted on his club's official website.

"It's an opportunity for everyone, it's a time for growth, I have a group of guys who have important moral values. Talking about the Scudetto today is useless, now we have to react starting from Lecce."

Pablo Mari underwent successful back surgery on Friday after Monza's on-loan Arsenal defender survived a stabbing attack near Milan.

The Spanish defender is expected to be out of action for at least two months, Monza said.

One person died in Thursday's attack and a suspect was arrested after being disarmed, with former Napoli footballer Massimo Tarantino named as being among those who stopped the assault.

Monza said in a statement: "The specialists of the general surgery-trauma team of the Niguarda hospital in Milan this morning carried out the surgery to reconstruct the two injured muscles on Pablo Marí's back.

"The surgery went well and a hospital stay of two or three days is expected."

Monza said a rehabilitation stage will begin once Mari is discharged.

"This type of muscle injury usually requires two months of rest before you can resume physical activities," the club statement added.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported Mari recalling the attack, saying: "I was with the pushchair with my child inside and I felt an excruciating pain in my back. Then that man stabbed another in the throat.

"I was lucky, because I saw a person die in front of me."

A host of well-wishers have sent messages of support to Mari, including several of Monza's rival Serie A clubs.

The man who died in the attack was a shop cashier named as Luis Fernando Ruggieri.

Mari was visited in hospital on Thursday evening by Monza chief executive Adriano Galliani and head coach Raffaele Palladino.

Galliani said: "Pablo is an amazing guy. He had the strength to joke, telling me that he will be on the field on Monday.

"I brought him greetings from president [Silvio] Berlusconi and everyone, his team-mates who would have liked to come here even though, obviously, it was not possible."

Galliani said Mari "was probably saved by his height", as the stab injury missed his vital organs.

The former Milan executive added: "From a psychological point of view it seems to me that there are no problems, even if I am not a doctor."

Pablo Mari believes he is "lucky" to be alive after Monza's on-loan Arsenal defender survived a stabbing attack near Milan.

The Brazilian centre-back was one of several people injured in the attack, while one person died and a suspect was arrested after being disarmed. 

It was widely reported that former Napoli footballer Massimo Tarantino was among those who stopped the attacker.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported Mari as saying: "I was with the pushchair with my child inside and I felt an excruciating pain in my back. Then that man stabbed another in the throat.

"Today I was lucky, because I saw a person die in front of me."

The man who died in the attack was a shop cashier named Luis Fernando Ruggieri, to whose family Monza sent their sympathies.

Arsenal said on Thursday they had been informed that Mari, who is spending the season in Serie A, was "not seriously hurt".

Mari was visited at the Niguarda hospital on Thursday by Monza CEO Adriano Galliani and head coach Raffaele Palladino.

Galliani said: "Pablo is an amazing guy. He had the strength to joke, telling me that he will be on the field on Monday.

"I brought him greetings from president [Silvio] Berlusconi and everyone, his team-mates who would have liked to come here even though, obviously, it was not possible."

Galliani added Mari "was probably saved by his height", as the stab injury missed his vital organs.

Reports in Italy said Mari would undergo surgery on Friday to deal with the wounding he suffered during the incident, which took place in the town of Assago.

Monza issued a statement that read: "Dear Pablo, we are all here close to you and your family, we love you, keep fighting as you know how to do, you are a warrior and you will get well soon!"

Galliani added: "From a psychological point of view it seems to me that there are no problems, even if I am not a doctor."

Mari's father, meanwhile, told Spanish broadcaster Cope: "They have been very bad hours. They started calling me at 8pm and my heart skipped.

"I was able to talk to my son and he told me that he was fine and that he loved us very much."

Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk is valued at "more than Antony of Manchester United, who cost €100million" according to assistant sporting director Carlo Nicolini, with Arsenal and Manchester City said to be interested.

Mudryk, 21, has been with the Ukrainian club since he was 15 years old, and after a pair of loan moves he returned to the club this past season and forced his way into the first team.

After the league season was halted due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, Mudryk returned in style this campaign, collecting three goals and five assists in six league fixtures, as well as three goals and two assists in five Champions League contests.

His exploits included two assists and a goal in a surprise 4-1 win over RB Leipzig, as well as goals in both of Shakhtar's 1-1 draws against Celtic – and Europe's top clubs have taken notice.

TOP STORY – PRICE TAG FOR SHAKHTAR'S MUDRYK SET AT NORTH OF €100M

In an interview with Calciomercato's TV Play, Nicolini claimed City and Arsenal are among teams keen on the Ukraine international, but made it clear Shakhtar are in no rush to sell.

Mudryk signed a four-year contract in February this year that ties him to the club until 2026.

As well discussing where interest is coming from – saying "the Italians bring low proposals" and "always come later", while confirming Spanish and French suitors – Nicolini claimed Mudryk was one of the best wingers in the world.

"It takes the right amount to take him away – together with Mbappe, Leao and Vinicius, Mudryk is the strongest player at the position," he said.

ROUND-UP

– According to HITC, Fulham are interested in four of Sao Paulo's players, including 20-year-old midfielder Pablo Maia, for whom they have reportedly submitted a second bid.

– Nottinghamshire Live claims Nottingham Forest are also prepared to bid for Sao Paulo's Maia, who is said to have a price tag of £9million.

– The Athletic is reporting Manchester United are monitoring 23-year-old Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa and 25-year-old Athletic Bilbao goalie Unai Simon as they decide whether to trigger David de Gea's contract extension.

– According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus have joined Newcastle United and Arsenal in the chase for 24-year-old Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.

– Arsenal also have strong interest in 23-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka, according to GiveMeSport.

Mikel Arteta says Pablo Mari "seems to be okay" after he was stabbed in an incident near Milan, while Arsenal said they have been told the defender, who is on loan at Monza, is "not seriously hurt".

The Brazilian centre-back was one of several people injured in the disturbing scenes at a supermarket in Carrefour, Serie A club Monza confirmed on Thursday.

Arteta, whose side were defeated in Europa League action against PSV, issued a brief comment on the situation when speaking to the media after the game.

"I just found out," he said. "I know that [Arsenal technical director] Edu has been in touch with his relatives, and that he's in hospital, and he seems to be okay.

"But I don't know, I will have a briefing now about the situation, what happened, and obviously we will be in touch with him, and hopefully he's okay."

Arsenal issued a club statement, explaining they had been in touch with Mari's agent.

"We are all shocked to hear the dreadful news about the stabbing in Italy, which has put a number of people in hospital including our on-loan centre-back Pablo Mari," it read.

"We have been in contact with Pablo's agent who has told us he's in hospital and is not seriously hurt.

"Our thoughts are with Pablo and the other victims of this dreadful incident."

Pablo Mari, the Arsenal defender who is on loan at Monza, is in hospital after being stabbed at a shopping centre on the outskirts of Milan.

The 29-year-old was one of several people injured during an incident at a supermarket in Carrefour.

Monza confirmed Mari is receiving care at Niguarda hospital in Milan, but his condition remains unknown.

According to reports, the suspect was arrested by police and subsequently taken into custody.

Mari has made eight appearances for Monza in Serie A this season, scoring in their 2-0 victory over Spezia earlier this month.