Liverpool are reportedly no longer pursuing Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes and will instead pivot to Brighton and Hove Albion young gun Moises Caicedo or Chelsea and England talent Mason Mount.

The decision to turn their attention away from Nunes comes after Wolves removed a release clause in his contract that would have made him available for £44million in the upcoming transfer window, according to The Mirror.

The report states Wolves will still entertain the possibility of selling Nunes, but will now demand at least £50m for the player they paid £38m for in an August transfer from Sporting CP.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL TURN TO CAICEDO, MOUNT AFTER NUNES REVELATION

With Nunes out of the equation, The Mirror is reporting Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham remains the top priority, but Liverpool will investigate more "realistic" moves for Caicedo or Mount.

Caicedo, 21, signed a new contract with Brighton after the club turned down a £70m offer from Arsenal in January, but according to Football Insider the Seagulls were primarily against letting a top talent leave mid-season and will be far more open to discussions in the off-season.

Mount, 24, now has 15 months remaining on his Chelsea contract and has shown no signs of signing an extension, making him a prime candidate to leave the club in an effort to balance their books after lavish spending in the past 12 months.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail is reporting Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham are among a host of clubs with interest in the £40million (€45.6m) release clause of 26-year-old Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae, who would prefer a Premier League move if he is to leave Serie A.

– According to Fabrizio Romano, Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have made an official offer to impending free agent Lionel Messi that would pay him £350m per year.

– Lazio are trying to convince star 28-year-old midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to sign a new two-year extension to repel interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Juventus, United and Chelsea, per Football Italia.

– Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg is reporting RB Leipzig and Inter are both pushing to sign breakout 23-year-old Tigre striker Mateo Retegui after the Argentine-born talent made his international debut for Italy recently.

– According to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid have offered 30-year-old striker Alvaro Morata a contract extension as he prepares to enter the final year of his current deal, although the club are willing to sell him if he would prefer a new challenge.

Massimiliano Allegri insists Juventus will not underestimate Inter despite the Nerazzurri being in free fall.

The two teams meet on Tuesday in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals, less than three weeks since they last met in Serie A.

On that occasion, a Filip Kostic goal helped Juventus to a 1-0 victory in an ill-tempered encounter that saw both sides end with 10 men on the pitch.

That result contributed to a four-game winless streak for Inter, but despite their troubles, Allegri still sees Simone Inzaghi's side as a serious threat.

"It's a different competition, but it's always Juventus [versus] Inter," he said. "We must create the conditions in order to qualify.

"It's not an easy game. Inter remain a strong side, regardless of the moment [they are in]. Actually, it is in these moments that we have to keep our attention.

"Too much praise for Juventus could lead us to lose touch with reality. We face a strong team, physically and technically. They have lost a few games, [but] we need to pay attention."

On the under-fire Inzaghi, who has led both Lazio and Inter to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana success as a coach, Allegri believes his record speaks for itself.

"I think Inzaghi is doing a great job," he added. "Inter are a strong team regardless of their moment. It's dangerous to meet these teams now. We need to be fully focused."

Allegri confirmed the availability of Federico Chiesa and offered a positive update on Paul Pogba's ongoing recovery.

"[Chiesa] is available. He had his knee checked in Austria. He has this tendon inflammation, but he's feeling better and he'll improve. He is available and he’ll go on the bench.

"Paul Pogba has partially trained with the team. From Wednesday, he will stay with the team more and work to improve his shape."

Luciano Spalletti is confident Napoli will bounce back when they face Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals, having seen his side suffer a crushing 4-0 defeat against the Rossoneri.

The Serie A leaders collapsed at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday, as the outstanding Rafael Leao scored twice for Stefano Pioli's rampant visitors.

While Napoli remain 16 points clear of their closest rivals Lazio, the defeat is their heaviest in Serie A since a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Atalanta in December 2007.

With Napoli looking certain to end a 33-year wait to win the Scudetto, their upcoming Champions League tie with Milan represents their most important assignment remaining this season, and Spalletti expects the Partenopei to improve for those games.

Asked whether the result represented a bump in the road for Napoli, Spalletti said: "Let's hope it's a hole and not a chasm. 

"Tonight I saw great willingness on the part of the boys, I'm very confident. We'll go back to work tomorrow morning for the next one.

"Here, we played against the Italian champions, they are a team of the highest level. Last year they deservedly won the title – if you get something wrong you'll get a clear result."

Asked whether the result could have a psychological impact on the Champions League tussle, he added: "We don't know. 

"We've always reacted since I've been here. Sometimes we've lost a few games, but we have always reacted."

Napoli have lost two of their last three home games in Serie A (W1), as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 20 league matches in Naples.

Spalletti's side also recorded 20 shots without scoring in a league game for the first time since December 2021, when they managed 26 attempts in a 1-0 defeat to Spezia. 

Napoli visit Lecce in their next Serie A game on Friday, before travelling to San Siro for the first leg of their Champions League last-eight tie five days later.

Stefano Pioli hailed Rafael Leao after he returned to form with a brace in Milan's remarkable 4-0 rout of Napoli, declaring the forward had not gone anywhere during his recent goal drought.

Having gone 11 games without a goal for Milan, Leao tore Napoli apart as the defending champions claimed a memorable win over the Serie A leaders at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

After lobbing Alex Meret for the opener, Leao scored his second of the game – and his 10th of the Serie A season – with a powerful left-footed finish to cap a lightning break from Pioli's men.

Leao – Serie A's Player of the Season last campaign – attracted criticism during his recent lean spell, but Pioli always had faith he would rediscover his best form.

Asked whether Leao was 'back' after his double, Pioli told DAZN: "He never left!

"He scored two goals, one from a central forward position and one from out wide. He has incredible potential and will become a champion."

As well as providing a huge boost to Milan's hopes of a top-four finish, the result served as a warning to Napoli ahead of this month's Champions League quarter-final tie against the Rossoneri.

Pioli, however, does not believe Milan's win will have any impact on those contests, adding: "Certainly today's victory gives us confidence, but they will be different matches. 

"Just because we won 4-0 today, it doesn't mean that Napoli have lost their certainties. We'll think about Napoli and face those two matches – I hope – with the personality of this evening.

"It will be a balanced match between two strong teams who are doing well in the Champions League. This season will be positive if we play in the Champions League again next year.

"There are still 10 days to go. It will be 180 minutes, but now we head to Empoli [on Friday] – in the league we haven't always faced matches with the right attitude."

Since Pioli joined Milan in 2019, the Rossoneri have posted five wins against teams starting that matchday top of the Serie A table – at least two more than any other team in the competition.

Rafael Leao scored two brilliant goals as Milan stunned Serie A leaders Napoli with a crushing 4-0 victory at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday.

Leao netted either side of a close-range strike from Brahim Diaz, opening the scoring with a lobbed one-on-one finish before doubling up with a powerful effort on the break.

With Serie A's leading marksman Victor Osimhen out injured, Napoli applied plenty of pressure but lacked cutting edge, and Alexis Saelemaekers added some gloss with a fine solo goal for the Scudetto holders.

The result saw Milan take advantage of Inter's loss to Fiorentina by going third in the table, and Stefano Pioli will hope it represents a sign of things to come ahead of the teams' upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie.

Giovanni Simeone – starting in place of Osimhen – missed the first clear chance when he fired over from 12 yards out, but it was Milan who struck first after 17 minutes.

Leao raced onto Diaz's throughball before dinking an impudent finish over Alex Meret, silencing the home crowd and ending his 11-game goal drought at club level. 

Things got even better for the Rossoneri eight minutes later, with Diaz sitting Mario Rui down after controlling Ismael Bennacer's left-wing cross before finishing high into the roof of the net.

Mike Maignan made strong saves to thwart Piotr Zielinski and Rui as Napoli looked to hit back, while Olivier Giroud went close to finding the bottom-right corner after the interval.

Despite Napoli dominating possession, Milan went further ahead when Leao capped a lightning break by tricking his way past Amir Rrahmani and lashing into the top-right corner.

With Napoli all at sea defensively, Saelemaekers added a memorable strike of his own, dancing through several Partenopei challenges before prodding beyond Meret after 67 minutes.

Maurizio Sarri wants to "continue and finish with" Lazio after the Biancocelesti tightened their grip on second place in Serie A with a 2-0 victory over Monza.

Goals from Pedro and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic moved Sarri's side five points clear of third-placed Inter, while they recorded a sixth successive clean sheet for the second time this season.

The former Napoli and Juventus coach, who has two years remaining on his contract at Lazio, was asked about his future following victory at Stadio Brianteo on Sunday.

But the 64-year-old is eager to continue his project with Lazio, while also praising the character demonstrated by his players.

"I have two more years, and I'm fine at Lazio," he said during his post-match press conference. "They made me feel important.

"If something sensational doesn't happen, I want to continue with Lazio and finish with this team. It's a club that gets inside you. I like this Lazio a lot.

"I had asked for maturity in not repeating the mistakes of the past. And the signs of maturity are coming, we played a serious game against a difficult team to face.

"We have quality, technique, breadth. Humility was needed, and we faced [Monza] in the right way."

Milinkovic-Savic made history with a tremendous free-kick – his seventh in Serie A – representing his 65th Lazio goal, making him the club's leading foreign scorer of all time.

The Serbia international also ended his goal drought having last found the net against Milan in January, and was thrilled to answer his critics.

Although the midfielder, who is out of contract in June 2024, refused to discuss speculation surrounding his future.

"These are three enormous points for us, as we are still in second place for a while longer," he told DAZN. "Finally, I managed to score and I really missed that feeling.

"There has been a lot of criticism and negative words. I tell you the truth, I did not accept them well, they knocked me down. I didn't think I deserved them after everything I've done over the years for this club.

"If I read too much, I hurt myself, but I accepted them, I worked and today finally came what I was waiting for and what everyone was waiting for.

"I am concentrated on the pitch, helping the team and achieving our objectives for the season. I don't want to talk about the contract renewal, we'll see at the end of the season."

Adrien Rabiot is "very focused" on Juventus, despite reports linking him with a return to Paris Saint-Germain.

The France international has been heavily linked with a move away from Turin, with his contract with the Bianconeri due to expire in June.

Former club PSG are reportedly interested in re-signing the midfielder, who won five Ligue 1 titles and racked up over 200 appearances during his first spell with the French giants between 2010 and 2019.

But the 27-year-old's immediate attention is on ensuring a strong end to the 2022-23 campaign with Juve who, despite a 15-point deduction, are just four points outside the top four.

When asked about the reported PSG interest, he told Telefoot: "Honestly, there is nothing special. I hear a lot of noise. I know that many people are interested in it.

"But I repeat: I am very focused on this end of the season with Juventus."

Rabiot is Juventus' second-top scorer in Serie A this season with seven goals, a tally bettered only by Dusan Vlahovic (eight).

The central midfielder has also registered three assists in the Italian top flight, with only Filip Kostic (eight) and Angel Di Maria (four) recording more for the Bianconeri.

Josko Gvardiol won plenty of admirers during Croatia's run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.

The 21-year-old central defender is contracted until 2027, but has a hefty release clause that will become active in 2024.

As a result, clubs are likely to be competing to secure the Croatian's services in the next transfer window.

TOP STORY – CITY AND REAL PRIORITISE GVARDIOL SIGNING

Manchester City and Real Madrid have both made RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol their priority centre-back target for the next transfer window, according to 90min.

The report claims Leipzig wants £75m (€85m) for the Croatian defender, who almost joined Chelsea last off-season.

City and Real are also both in contention to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, complicating the Gvardiol move.

The report also claims City are willing to offload Aymeric Laporte to help facilitate any move.

ROUND-UP

– Liverpool are the favourites ahead of Manchester City in the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount in the off-season, reports Football Insider.

– Manchester United are keeping an eye on Joao Felix 's situation with the Atletico Madrid forward currently on loan at Chelsea, claims Mundo Deportivo. Chelsea have been linked with a permanent deal for the Portuguese.

– The Sun claims Leicester City are keen on re-signing Harry Maguire on loan from Manchester United amid talk he will exit Old Trafford.

– Arsenal 's desire to land Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus could see the Gunners offer up Granit Xhaka and Nicolas Pepe as part of a deal, reports Calciomercatoweb.

– Fichajes claims Manchester City and Chelsea will battle it out to sign Milan full-back Theo Hernandez.

– Barcelona have prioritised a move for Liverpool winger Luis Diaz in the next transfer window, according to Fichajes.

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri says his side "didn’t play very well" leading to him storming down the tunnel before full-time in their 1-0 home win over Verona.

The Bianconeri secured their fifth straight win in all competitions with Moise Kean's 55th-minute strike the difference.

But Allegri was unimpressed with his side and stormed down the post-side tunnel before the full-time whistle.

"We didn't play very well and I think in the last five minutes we had to go and score a second goal, keep pushing them and maintain the pressure," Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.

"It doesn't seem like much five minutes, but all Verona needed was a long ball into the box and anything could happen. We could've been here licking our wounds if they had equalised.

"It was a complicated match, as they always are after the international break. It was a tough game and we knew it was going to be because Verona make you play badly, they press all over the pitch.

"That's why we were blocked in the opening minutes, then we managed to move the ball around and create chances.

"We could have done better once we had taken the lead and double our advantage, without giving them a chance to get near our area. It's something we need to improve on."

The win keeps Juventus in the hunt for European qualification, although their 15-point deduction, means they are seventh on 44 points. Juve (44) are behind fourth-placed Milan (48), Atalanta (48) and Roma (47) in the race for Europe, with all but Atalanta having a game in hand.

Allegri was quick to point out if not for that deduction they would be on 59 points and subsequently second in Serie A. Juve will have their appeal against that penalty heard on April 19.

"This result means we have earned 59 points on the field, closing the gap on Inter and momentarily on Milan and Lazio," he said.

"We've got Inter on Tuesday in the Coppa Italia and then Lazio on Saturday, so we’ve got to be ready.

"In football if you have a good run of results, that allows you to catch up pretty quickly. We have to take it one step at a time.

"The 'real' table that we see there shows we are still four points off the Champions League spots and that is a lot."

Simone Inzaghi did not hide his frustration at Romelu Lukaku's struggles in front of goal after Inter lost 1-0 to Fiorentina on Saturday.

Inter's losing streak in Serie A was extended to their worst in six years as Giacomo Bonaventura's second-half header proved decisive at San Siro.

The Nerazzurri have now lost three straight top flight matches, with Bonaventura's winner coming shortly after a woeful miss from Lukaku.

Having rediscovered his goalscoring touch while on international duty with Belgium, Lukaku was unable to transfer that form across to his club side as he failed to hit the target from close range with the goal gaping.

No Inter player had more shots than his three, with Lukaku not managing to get any of them on target, despite accumulating 1.2 expected goals.

While not pinning the blame entirely on Lukaku – who is reported to have confronted Inzaghi about a lack of opportunities while he has been fit this season – Inter's coach was quick to point out the importance of those misses.

Speaking to DAZN, Inzaghi said: "If he had scored those chances, Lukaku's performance would be judged in a very different way.

"His role is to create the opportunities, make the movements that the team needs.

"He wasn't the only one who had chances today, so I wouldn't focus only on Romelu."

Inzaghi also stressed he is ultimately responsible for turning Inter's fortunes around. 

"There is great disappointment, we lost two consecutive home matches," he said. "We need to work more, starting with me.

"At the moment, we need to be more determined, because we had so many chances to score and we should have done.

"I cannot ask for more in terms of effort, as the players did everything I asked of them."

Inzaghi is not wrong. While Fiorentina had more shots (19 to 16) and got the same number of attempts on target (three each), Inter finished with a 2.8 xG compared to the visitors' 1.2, suggesting the quality of opportunities that went their way was far greater.

Lukaku's glaring miss came from by far the best opportunity of the match, with Opta's model estimating the chance would be converted 92 per cent of the time (0.92 xG).

The 29-year-old's future is uncertain. He is on loan at Inter, but due to return to parent club Chelsea at the end of the season.

Before the match, Inter chief Giuseppe Marotta told DAZN: "[Lukaku's] love for the Inter jersey is 10 out of 10, we'll evaluate the prospects with Chelsea."

Moise Kean fired Juventus to a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions with a 1-0 win against Verona at Allianz Stadium.

A relatively quiet game offered little in the way of clear-cut opportunities, Danilo hitting the frame of the goal in the best chance of the first half.

However, Kean ensured the home fans would have something to celebrate after capping off a fine Juve move.

Though far from a vintage performance, Juve have moved four points behind fifth-placed Atalanta and three behind sixth-placed Roma, who play on Sunday.

Verona almost broke the deadlock after 15 minutes, Kevin Lasagna pulling a dangerous cross to the far post for Fabio Depaoli to smash a volley narrowly wide of Wojciech Szczesny's goal.

Danilo came closest before the break, his free-kick clipping the top-left corner of the crossbar.

Juve got their winner in the 55th minute. An excellent move culminated in Manuel Locatelli playing in Kean, who smashed home to take his tally of league goals for the season to six.

Massimiliano Allegri's side were not home and dry, however, with Szczesny charging off his line to push a loose ball away with Lasagna lurking after his defence left him in the lurch.

Juve had Szczesny to again thank when he kept out Filippo Terracciano's fierce effort.

Bremer squandered a golden opportunity to wrap up the points late on, somehow bundling an attempt over from inside the six-yard box, though fortunately for the defender, Verona could not make Juve pay for his miss.

Inter's losing streak extended to their worst in Serie A in six years with a 1-0 defeat to Fiorentina at San Siro on Saturday.

Giacomo Bonaventura's second-half header was enough to down Simone Inzaghi's side, inflicting a third consecutive defeat upon the Nerazzurri.

The game's only goal came shortly after a woeful miss from Romelu Lukaku, failing to hit the target with the goal gaping from inside the six-yard box.

Inter came closest to an equaliser when Nicolo Barella struck the crossbar from long range but failed to restore parity and suffered their 10th league defeat of the season.

Andre Onana was called into action with a diving save to keep out Gaetano Castrovilli's bouncing volley, the goalkeeper then staying alert to the danger to quickly punch away the loose ball before Arthur Cabral could pounce on the rebound.

Fiorentina's Jonathan Ikone had the best chance of the half seven minutes before the interval with the goal at his mercy but failed to connect with the ball after Riccardo Saponara's scuffed shot fell into his path.

After the break, it was Inter's turn to spurn a glorious opportunity, Lukaku just yards from goal with Pietro Terracciano out of the picture but only able to slice a poor effort wide of the mark after Alessandro Bastoni put the ball on a plate for the striker.

Inter were made to pay for that missed chance, Cabral flicking on a corner at the near post that Onana palmed away, only for Bonaventura to nod in the rebound and give the visitors the lead.

Barella led Inter's search for an equaliser, firing a ferocious effort at goal that had Terracciano beaten but cannoned back off the crossbar, with later appeals for a penalty for a foul on Lautaro Martinez waved away and the referee's decision upheld after a VAR check.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are among the heavy hitters with reported interest in out-of-favour Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Tchouameni arrived in Madrid last July from Monaco for a €100million fee, but has started just 15 of 26 LaLiga fixtures this term, and played only a combined six minutes in their two-legged Champions League clash with Liverpool, whom he reportedly turned down to move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The defensive midfielder has found himself behind 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga for Madrid's most crucial contests, also only making brief substitute appearances in both meetings with Barcelona in March.

Tchouameni, who has made 23 senior appearances and scored two international goals for France, still has plenty of time to turn himself into the impact player Madrid envisioned, but the club are reportedly weighing up if they could cash in and use the resources elsewhere.

TOP STORY – EUROPE'S ELITE KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON TCHOUAMENI

According to El Nacional, Madrid are not happy with such an expensive signing only being used sparingly in a rotation role, and will consider any bid in the next transfer window starting at €70m (£61.5m).

The report names Arsenal, United, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Chelsea as Tchouameni's "admirers", with the Premier League clubs in particular having all been in the market recently for help in central midfield.

Tchouameni could even cost less than breakout Brighton and Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo, and significantly less than Borussia Dortmund talent Jude Bellingham, adding another key name into the mix for midfielder-hungry clubs this offseason.

ROUND-UP

– According to Calciomercato, Liverpool are considering a move for Brighton's Caicedo if their pursuit of Bellingham is unsuccessful.

– Football Insider is reporting that Chelsea are hoping to receive £100m in return for midfield duo Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic in an effort to balance the books after lavish spending.

– Chelsea's Kai Havertz has interest in reuniting with former boss Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, and that interest is mutual according to 90min.

– Fichajes is reporting that Roma may swoop for 32-year-old United goalkeeper David de Gea if he does not sign a new contract to stay in the Premier League.

– According to Mundo Deportivo, PSG have told Lionel Messi they will pay whatever is necessary to retain his services amid heavy interest from Barcelona and Inter Miami.

Massimiliano Allegri is unsure when Paul Pogba will return to action following his most recent injury setback.

The France international has had a torrid time of things since returning to Juve from Manchester United last July, featuring for just 34 minutes across two substitute appearances.

Pogba appeared to have put his injury issues behind him when playing in back-to-back games against Torino and Roma on February 28 and March 5, both times as a substitute.

But he was dropped for Juve's next match, a Europa League tie with Freiburg, due to turning up late for a team meeting.

The 29-year-old has not featured since, having sustained a fresh muscular problem while taking free-kicks in training.

Providing an update on Pogba's fitness ahead of Juve's return to Serie A action against Hellas Verona on Saturday, Allegri appeared to once again rule out the midfielder.

"At the moment, I don't know when he will be available again," Allegri said at Friday's pre-match press conference. "He's working, but at the moment it's difficult to say.

"The adductor is fine, but we're waiting to see how his knee will react after taking part in training."

Allegri's side were hit with a 15-point deduction in January, but they have won six of their past seven Serie A games to move back within seven points of the top four.

Juve have five league games in April, as well as a meeting with Sporting CP in the Europa League quarter-finals and the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter.

"Our aim is to win as many games as possible in order to have a wonderful May," Allegri said of his side's congested April programme. 

"This is the schedule and we have to manage it the best way possible. We're heading towards a beautiful but tiring end to the season and must continue playing with enthusiasm."

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen faces a race against time to play any part in the Champions League quarter-final against Milan after suffering an injury.

Osimhen played both games in the international break for Nigeria but has returned to the Italian club with a left thigh problem.

The club announced on their website he will be assessed next week, with president Aurelio De Laurentiis hopeful the star striker will soon be back in action.

De Laurentiis said, according to Tuttomercato: "He should be out a couple of weeks, we hope."

Napoli host Milan in Serie A on Sunday before travelling to face Lecce on the following Friday, with Osimhen likely to miss both fixtures.

The Champions League quarter-final first leg in Milan comes on April 12, with the return fixture taking place in Naples on April 18.

The 24-year-old Osimhen has enjoyed a prolific season, scoring 25 goals in 29 games in all competitions, with Luciano Spalletti’s 19 points clear of second-placed Lazio in Serie A and through to their first-ever Champions League quarter-final.

Argentine striker Giovanni Simeone will likely deputise in Osimhen’s absence, with the striker having netted eight times in all competitions this season.