Ciro Immobile "feared for his daughters" and feels he had a lucky escape after the Lazio captain's car was hit by a tram on Sunday.

The Italy striker sustained a distortion trauma of the spine and a compound fracture of his rib when his vehicle was struck in Rome.

He was taken to the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital following the crash, which occurred while his two daughters were travelling with him.

Video footage showed substantial damage to the front of Immobile's car and the 33-year-old is relieved he was not driving a smaller vehicle.

He is quoting as saying in the Corriere dello Sport: "An incredible blow. I only thought about protecting my girls. A nightmare, I feared for them. Luckily both we and the tram driver are here to talk about it. With another car I don't know what would have happened."

Lazio president Claudio Lotito said: "Ciro is part of our family, he is a champion to whom I am particularly attached also from a human point of view. 

"We are with him and we hope he will return soon, but now he must have the utmost serenity to think about his health and to that of his daughters."

Immobile scored his 12th goal of the season from the penalty spot in second-placed Lazio's 3-0 win over Spezia last Friday.

Real Madrid are eager to rejuvenate their squad for coming seasons with investment set to come in the off season.

Los Blancos are set to finish second in the LaLiga title race to Barcelona who hold an 11-point lead with nine games to play.

The depth of the reigning European champions, who are in this season's quarter-finals, has been tested at times this term.

TOP STORY – MADRID BOSS TO SWOOP ON CHELSEA TALENT

Fichajes claims Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has identified Chelsea quartet Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic as potential targets.

The latter three are all out of contract in 2024, meaning Los Blancos could sign them for free if they do not re-sign.

Perez is plotting to capitalise on Chelsea's downfall this term, with the club to miss next season's Champions League.

Kovacic previously spent three seasons at Santiago Bernabeu, while Mount has attracted interest from several top clubs given his quality and contract status.

ROUND-UP

– Lionel Messi wants to return to Barcelona when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expire at the end of this season, reports Fichajes. Messi will overlook offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS club Inter Miami to return to his former club.

– Manchester United are in pole position to sign French defender Axel Disasi from Monaco in the off season, claims Football Insider. Disasi is out of contract in 2025, with Chelsea and Manchester City also said to be interested.

– Liverpool have turned to Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as an alternative to Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, claims The Times.

– Calciomercatoweb claims Arsenal are still in the race to sign Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, despite stiff competition from Madrid and PSG .

– Toni Kroos is set to accept a contract extension offer from Madrid and re-commit to the club for another 12 months, reports Marca.

– Chelsea have met with ex-Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann as they look for their next permanent manager, according to The Times.

Massimiliano Allegri rued Juventus only sparking into life after suffering a "slap in the face" during their 1-0 loss at Sassuolo.

Juve went down to Gregoire Defrel's fine finish on Sunday, suffering a second straight Serie A defeat and their third loss in four away games in the league.

The defeat leaves Juve – who will defend a 1-0 lead against Sporting CP in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday – sitting in seventh place and nine points behind Milan in the final Champions League spot.

Having hardly threatened prior to going behind, Juve did spark into life in the closing stages. Andrea Consigli saved from Adrien Rabiot's excellent header, while Angel Di Maria blazed over from a great chance.

But it was not enough to ease Allegri's frustration, with the Juventus coach telling DAZN: "We did not play well for an hour, then reacted after the slap in the face of the goal.

"It was an important game for the table, but it was a second consecutive defeat in the league.

"We've got to get back to our feet, work on what we got wrong and take a different approach to the matches. All we can do is stay quiet, work hard and drag out the last drops of energy to get past Sporting.

"I told the players this was an important step. Instead, we dropped points."

Paul Pogba came on for just his fourth appearance of the season, all of which have come from the bench since his return from a calf injury that kept him out for over six months.

Allegri, though, said the France midfielder is still well behind where Juve hoped he would be.

"There are players like Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba who are getting back into shape, while others have played a lot more and are tired," Allegri added.

"I saw improvements from Pogba, but he's still a long way behind schedule and not in condition to play 90 minutes.

"We'll try to slowly get him up to 30 minutes and see how he responds."

Juventus suffered a second successive Serie A defeat as Gregoire Defrel's fine finish saw Sassuolo win 1-0 on Sunday.

Three days on from beating Sporting CP 1-0 in the Europa League, Juve turned in a tired display at Mapei Stadium, as Sassuolo dented the Bianconeri's Champions League qualification hopes.

Defrel's 64th-minute goal had been coming, with Massimiliano Allegri's team having lived a charmed life at the back while offering little going forward.

Juve found some spark late on, with Adrien Rabiot denied by Andrea Consigli and Angel Di Maria squandering a golden chance, but Sassuolo held firm to beat Juve at home in the league for the first time since October 2015.

Sassuolo carved out the only chance of a muted first half, but Nedim Bajrami failed to keep his shot down from a tight angle.

Danilo should have done better with a near-post header shortly after the restart, though Juve needed stand-in goalkeeper Mattia Perin to thwart Sassuolo soon after.

Having tipped a curling Maxime Lopez shot wide, Perin pulled off a fantastic save from Defrel's close-range header.

Perin could only stand and watch as Federico Gatti headed against the woodwork just after the hour, Juve coming away unscathed after the defender's awful attempt at a clearance.

Yet the pressure eventually told – Defrel arrowing in a brilliant finish on the spin after Nicolo Fagioli's dreadful clearance fell his way.

Juve finally sparked into life, with Rabiot's header forcing Consigli into a superb save before substitute Di Maria blazed over as the visitors' comeback attempts proved fruitless, with Paul Pogba's late cameo from the bench unable to inspire an equaliser.

Victor Osimhen says he "could not ask for more" at Napoli amid increased speculation over his future.

The Nigeria international has been instrumental to the Partenopei's success this season, as they close in on a third Scudetto title and first since 1990.

With 25 goals in 30 games across all competitions this term, Osimhen's rich form has seen him touted for a potential big-money exit from Naples this year.

Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and a host of Premier League teams have been touted with a move in the next transfer window.

Osimhen hinted that he is not immediately looking to depart Naples, though.

"It was tough for me to make my dream come true, [to become] a professional football player," he told TG5. "Now we are about to win.

"I'm at a great club and my career is growing. I am already at one of the biggest clubs [in Europe] and I could not ask for more. Forza Napoli, always!"

Osimhen made his return from injury in a goalless draw with Verona on Saturday, a result that nevertheless maintains a 14-point gap over second-place Lazio in Serie A.

With the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final to come against Milan, the forward is already preparing to celebrate Scudetto success with the club.

"We are close to the objective and cannot wait to make our dream come true, to make it a reality," he added.

"The players always believed. We always thought we could do something exceptional, even when nobody else believed we could.

"The affection from the city is extraordinary. I have never received so much love. I can't wait to celebrate with them at the stadium."

Lazio captain Ciro Immobile walked away without suffering any serious injuries after his car collided with a tram on Sunday morning.

The Italy striker was reportedly taken to the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital following the crash in Rome.

It was reported Immobile's two daughters were also in his vehicle when the accident occurred in the Italian captain.

Lazio revealed in a statement that the 33-year-old sustained a distortion trauma of the spine and a compound fracture of his rib.

Immobile, who remains under observation in hospital in the Eternal City, said at the scene: "The tram ran a red light. Luckily I'm fine, my arm just hurts a little."

Video footage showed substantial damage to the front of Immobile's car.

Immobile scored his 12th goal of the season from the penalty spot in second-placed Lazio's 3-0 win over Spezia on Friday.

Real Madrid are reportedly eager to bolster their full-back options, to upgrade from Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy.

Los Blancos were linked with Manchester City's Joao Cancelo - currently on loan at Bayern Munich - earlier this week by Fichajes.

The Spanish giants are set to miss out on this season's LaLiga title, with Barcelona leading by 10 points.

TOP STORY – MADRID KEEN ON LIVERPOOL'S TAA

Real Madrid will turn to Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold should they fail to land Reece James from Chelsea, claims Ekrem Konur.

Los Blancos are in the market for a new full-back and Konur claims Madrid could also turn to Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong.

Alexander-Arnold has had a mixed campaign for Liverpool, who appear set for a squad revamp in the off-season. The 24-year-old England full-back is contracted with the Reds until 2025.

ROUND-UP

– Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is an admirer of Torino's 21-year-old midfielder Samuele Ricci with Los Blancos keeping tabs on his situation, according to Tuttosport.

– The Sunday Mirror claims Manchester City are leading the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid , with Liverpool having pulled out.

– Chelsea are looking to offer Romelu Lukaku as part of a deal with Atletico Madrid to sign Portuguese forward Joao Felix permanently, reports Fichajes. Chelsea are unwilling to pay Atletico's €100m asking fee, but may part with €70m along with the Belgian forward.

– Tottenham are tracking Barcelona winger Ansu Fati, reports Mundo Deportivo. The report suggests Spurs are willing to make him their most expensive transfer in club history.

– RB Leipzig are considering a move to sign Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun in the close season, claims Todofichajes. Balogun has impressed this season on loan with Reims .

– Chelsea have interviewed Sporting boss Ruben Amorim about taking over as manager next season, reports talkSPORT.

Simone Inzaghi acknowledged Inter must show greater maturity in their Serie A performances after they missed out on a chance to move into the top four with a 1-0 home loss to Monza.

Luca Caldirola's 78th-minute finish was enough to give the visitors an upset victory at San Siro and further extend the Nerazzurri's barren league run.

Inter have collected just one point from five Serie A games, damaging their hopes of Champions League qualification. The defeat saw them fail to capitalise on a draw for city rivals Milan against Bologna earlier on Saturday.

Speaking afterwards, Inzaghi reflected on another tough result for his side, noting he feels they are doing little wrong but must be smart to find answers.

"We got nervous," he told DAZN. "We want this victory, but it is not coming in the league at the moment.

"A mature team must stay in the game. We need to direct the game.

"Now we're talking about a defeat that has slowed down [any chance of momentum]. We have to work on it and not just up front.

"After Lisbon, I was calm. But then, we have seen how it has gone.

"But we lose games that we do not deserve to lose, so we still have to be rational."

With eight top-flight games to go and just a two-point gap to third-place Roma, Inter's top-four hopes are far from over.

In addition, they still have the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Benfica to come this week, having taken a 2-0 victory on the road in Portugal.

Inzaghi accepts there is a tough spell ahead, and says both he and Inter must be frank in their self-appraisal if they are to turn matters around.

"We're behind in the league, but we have time to recover, even if these are heavy [blows to take]," he added. 

"This result is not deserved but we need to make more of an impact on games.

"We were the best attacking side in Italy, but now we have difficulties. We have to do a mea culpa, including myself as the coach."

Luca Caldirola returned to haunt Inter as Monza snatched a stunning 1-0 win at San Siro, a result that means Simone Inzaghi's problems are deepening.

Defender Caldirola started his playing days at Inter but did not make the grade as a first-team regular, going on to have a journeyman career. However, a powerful header from the 32-year-old snatched all three points for Monza on Saturday, as Inter fluffed their big chance to go fourth in the table.

Milan's draw with Bologna earlier in the day had opened up that opportunity, but Inter's dismal run of form continued as Caldirola claimed the spotlight.

It is now one point from the last five league games for Inter, a desperate run at this crucial stage of the season.

Inter striker Romelu Lukaku headed wide from an excellent position early on, wasting a big chance, and there were to be several of those for the home side.

Joaquin Correa then combined neatly with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lukaku as he carved out a route into the Monza penalty area, but the Argentine forward was denied by Michele Di Gregorio's save.

It was Correa who was providing much of the early Inter threat, but the first half proved a largely drab affair.

Monza's Carlos Augusto fired into the side-netting as the visitors posed an early threat after the break, with Inter losing defender Stefan de Vrij to injury.

Nicolo Rovella also threatened for Monza with a long-range effort before Inter's Lukaku had a header clawed away by Di Gregorio.

Correa sent a shot narrowly wide, and Lukaku fired fractionally over the bar as the hosts pushed for a breakthrough, yet Dany Mota went equally close for Monza with a left-footed strike that went just too high.

Monza stunned their hosts in the 78th minute when Caldirola stomped through a crowd to head in Patrick Ciurria's left-wing corner, and Inter could not find a way back to level terms.

Luciano Spalletti confirmed Victor Osimhen will start Tuesday's Champions League clash with Milan after the fit-again Napoli star was denied by the woodwork on his return against Hellas Verona. 

Osimhen was sidelined for around three weeks after sustaining a groin injury while on international duty with Nigeria last month, returning to Napoli's bench for Saturday's frustrating goalless draw.

Striker Osimhen was introduced for the final 20 minutes and went closest to breaking the deadlock, crashing a fierce volley against the crossbar as the Serie A leaders were held.

Despite failing to add to his league-high tally of 21 goals this season, no Napoli player bettered his five touches in the Verona area throughout the course of the game.

Spalletti hopes Osimhen's outing will help him enter the Milan game - with Napoli 1-0 down in the tie - in top form, saying the mere sight of the striker lifted the crowd at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. 

"He'll be a starter against Milan," Spalletti said of Osimhen.

"He has this structure where you can throw the ball into him, or in the space, and he holds it. 

"He has many qualities. [Giacomo] Raspadori has almost all of them, but when we throw a long ball over his head, it becomes difficult for him. 

"Osimhen is now a favourite of the fans, so when he enters he always gives a breath of enthusiasm to the whole team.

"Players like him are made of different stuff, they have too many solutions to be normal, they have so many characteristics."

Asked why Napoli failed to make the breakthrough, Spalletti said: "We found a team that closed in and took the space away from us. We need to know how to fill the empty spaces. 

"Many difficulties came from Verona, a team used to wasting time, as they were also allowed to do tonight. I don't see the time we lost added anywhere."

While Napoli have won just one of their last four games across all competitions (D1 L2), they remain 14 points clear of second-placed Lazio and on course to win their first Scudetto since 1990.

Napoli dropped rare points in their quest for the Serie A title as Luciano Spalletti's leaders were held to a disappointing goalless draw by Hellas Verona at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

With Spalletti managing his squad ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Milan, fit-again striker Victor Osimhen began on the bench alongside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. 

Napoli lacked inspiration in a low-key affair and went closest after the late introduction of their star duo, Osimhen rattling the crossbar with a terrific volley.

While Napoli's first Scudetto since 1990 appears a formality with their lead at the summit standing at 14 points, Spalletti will demand far better with their European dreams on the line next time out.

Napoli thought they had the lead when Matteo Politano's drive deflected in after 20 minutes, but the goal was ruled out due to the offside Mathias Olivera interfering with the play.

Alex Meret was forced to push a rasping long-range strike from Kevin Lasagna away as the break approached, with the depleted hosts struggling to create during a flat opening period.

Napoli skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo nodded narrowly wide from Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's cross 56 minutes in, before Giacomo Raspadori sent a prodded effort off-target.

Spalletti introduced Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen – the latter for his first club appearance in almost a month – as Napoli grew more desperate, but the relegation-threatened visitors continued to stand firm.

Osimhen almost enjoyed a dream return when he struck a fierce volley from the edge of the area with eight minutes left, but his strike crashed off the woodwork and away as Verona held on – even missing a glorious chance to snatch the win when Cyril Ngonge shot wide from a rapid break.

Milan midfielder Tomasso Pobega bemoaned a missed opportunity in Serie A against Bologna.

Stefano Pioli's side fell behind with just 33 seconds played, with Pobega equalising five minutes before the break with a thunderous strike.

Despite dominating proceedings, Milan were unable to find a winner in the game and dropping points opens the door to rivals Inter and Atalanta in the hunt for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.

Having been held to a draw, Milan could end the weekend outside of the top four and have testing fixtures to finish the season – including a trip to face Juventus on the final day.

While there has been plenty of attention on the two recent victories over Napoli, domestic form is a huge concern with Milan having just a solitary victory in their last six Serie A games.

Pobega is aware that Milan need to fare better in the coming weeks, though he is unsure as to why the side is struggling.

"We paid for the approach with the game, we made a mistake at the beginning," he told DAZN.

"It's too bad, we threw away points and it's not the first time. It hurts. We are preparing for the games as best we can, we have to start strong and score goals.

"We all train well, all strong, we wanted to make an impression today, and it's a shame. We needed to be more precise and incisive."

However, Pobega refuted the suggestion that Milan paid too much attention to Tuesday's second leg in the Champions League against Napoli.

"I don't think so, we were focused on this game. We gave so much today, we just have to look where we went wrong," he replied when asked if that was the case.

A weakened Milan side were held to a 1-1 draw in Serie A by Bologna at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.

With their focus clearly on the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final tie with Napoli, Stefano Pioli's side made 10 changes and fell behind to a Nicola Sansone strike inside the opening minute.

The early goal sparked some life into Milan's understudies, with Tomasso Pobega's fierce strike levelling the scores before the break.

Neither side could find a winning goal in the second half, with honours even and a result Bologna will be happier with.

Milan heavily rotated from the opening leg win against Napoli, only Mike Maignan retaining his spot between the posts, and he was picking the ball out the back of the net after just 33 seconds when Sansone met Stefan Posch's low cross and smashed home.

The visitors responded strongly, dominating possession, with Ante Rebic heading straight at Lukasz Skorupski before the Bologna shot stopper was forced into a diving save from Alessandro Florenzi's curling free-kick.

Milan's equaliser came five minutes before the break, Bologna unable to clear their lines properly and Pobega unleashing a fierce shot that cannoned off the inside of the left-hand post and into the back of the net.

A much quieter second half saw limited clear-cut opportunities for both sides, with Milan's attempts to pepper Skorupski's goal seeing a number of efforts fail to provide any sort of threat to the Polish keeper.

Rebic came closest to an equaliser, though not through skill as the chance instead saw an attempted clearance strike his head but fly wide of the mark, much to the relief of the home side.

Antonio Cassano slammed Juventus' season under Massimiliano Allegri, insisting it "would be suicide" if his former coach remains in charge of the Bianconeri next term.

Juve are eight points adrift of Serie A's top four with nine matches remaining, though their situation could look very different should the appeal they lodged against their 15-point penalty for transfer fee irregularities earlier in the campaign be successful.

Nevertheless, the Bianconeri would still trail runaway leaders Napoli by 15 points, while they exited the Champions League at the group stage.

Juve could still finish the season with silverware as they are in the Coppa Italia semi-finals and Europa League quarter-finals.

However Cassano, who played under Allegri at Milan during the 2011-12 season, is far from impressed by their achievements this term, and believes the club should seek a replacement for his former boss ahead of 2023-24.

The former Italy striker told Gazzetta dello Sport: "In July, Allegri said: in March-April, we have to be in everything. [The] result: he went out in the Champions League group in a shameful way; in November, he was out of the championship fight.

"The Coppa Italia and Europa League save nothing; Juve must fight for the Scudetto.

"The squad has been devalued: [Dusan] Vlahovic above all. [Angel] Di Maria, who remains a genius, is misused 50 metres from the goal. 

"[Allegri] has 20 internationals and plays horrendously. The team are always behind the ball, everyone in defence.

"Starting again with Allegri next year would be suicide: the mistake was to give him a long contract. But if making mistakes is human, persevering is diabolical."

Massimiliano Allegri confirmed Paul Pogba is "not ready to play the whole game" when Juventus travel to Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday.

Pogba has endured a torrid time since re-joining the Bianconeri from Manchester United last year due to a succession of injury setbacks, while he also missed the World Cup in Qatar.

A five-minute cameo in the midweek Europa League victory over Sporting CP represented only his third appearance of the campaign – all of which have come as a substitute.

Allegri feels Juve's clash with Sassuolo is too soon for Pogba to be thrown in from the start, but the head coach is confident the 30-year-old can still significantly impact the remainder of their campaign.

"Pogba is training well. Yesterday, he did 20 minutes of good training with the ball. Today, we see how he is," Allegri told reporters.

"At the moment, he is not ready to play the whole game, but he can only improve, and I think he will be able to show us his quality – if not for the whole game, for the minutes in which he will play from here to the end of the championship."

Allegri also confirmed Wojciech Szczesny will be rested for the trip to Mapei Stadium.

The Poland international was substituted during the first half of the win over Sporting after suffering chest pains, though he was subsequently checked and given the all-clear by the medical team.

Mattia Perin, who produced an impressive display from the bench, is likely to deputise.

"Today, I will talk to [Szczesny]," Allegri added. "If he is serene and calm, he can come with us and stay on the bench, so at least he will have a day of recovery and rest.

"Perin is in excellent condition and has become an important goalkeeper. Compared to when he arrived at Juventus, he has made progress and important improvements.

"He is one of the best goalkeepers there are for reliability and presence in the game."