The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AC Milan

  • QPR tells AC Milan to take Taarabt

    QPR tells AC Milan to take Taarabt

    QPR midfielder Adel Taarabt is being lined up to return to AC Milan in January.

    The People says QPR boss Harry Redknapp launched an extraordinary attack on Taarabt after last week’s defeat by Liverpool, criticising the Moroccan’s attitude and claiming he was ‘about three stone overweight’, leading to a public slanging match between the two which ended with public censure from owner Tony Fernandes.

    Yet Taarabt enjoyed a successful loan spell at Milan last season and the San Siro giants are keen to strike a deal for a cut-price fee in the mid-season window.

    Rangers were demanding about £7million for the player in the summer but may now be willing to reduce their price for the talented but wayward 25-year-old.

  • Iheanacho is ripe for Eagles

    Iheanacho is ripe for Eagles

    Nduka Ugbade, current assistant manager of the Nigerian U-20 team ‘The Flying Eagles’ has declared that Manchester City kid sensation Kelechi Iheanacho is ‘ripe’ for a Super Eagles call up.

    Iheanacho was voted MVP at the last U-17 World Cup after he helped Nigeria win her fourth world title in record breaking fashion – scoring six goals with seven assists in sublime manner.

    That feat earned him a big money move to English giants Manchester City after they beat competition from the likes of FC Porto, Arsenal and Barcelona for his services and he hasn’t failed to impress ever since.

    The 17-year-old was the star attraction for the Etihad landlords on their pre-season tour of the United States as he notched up three quality goals in the three games he played for the Citizens against Sporting Kansas, AC Milan, and Liverpool to confirm his status as the ‘next big thing in world football.’

    Speaking exclusively with SportingLife, Ugbade said: “We’ve seen Iheanacho develop in the last couple of years and his intelligence on the ball is wonderful because he has the right information to propel him unto great heights.

    “And I’m confident that he can do a good job in the Super Eagles if given the opportunity because he is ripe enough for a call up.”

    Ugbade, who captained Nigeria to her first U-17 World Cup title in 1985, then talked up the chances of Mohammed (current captain of the Flying Eagles), Musa Yahaya, and Dele Alampasu making it into the Super Eagles squad in the nearest future.

    “Our boy in Tottenham – Musa Yahaya, is doing very well at the moment and I’m confident in his abilities to succeed anywhere because he is a very clever player.

    “The captain – Mohammed is a strong player too. Dele Alampasu went to the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) with the home-based Eagles which is good and I’m sure that if others are given the opportunity they’ll grab it with both hands,” he added.

    Iheanacho is currently injured but very much in the plans of Manchester City’s manager Mannuel Pellegrini as he rates the Nigerian very high.

  • UEFA Champions League: Fenerbahce test for Arsenal

    UEFA Champions League: Fenerbahce test for Arsenal

    English Premier League side Arsenal would face Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the Champions League play-off round after the draw was made on Friday at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.

    The Gunners, who lost the 2006 final 2-1 to Barcelona, travels to Istanbul for the first leg to be played August 20-21 before returning to London for the second leg a week later, AFP reports.

    However, Fenerbahce’s potential participation in the group stage depends on a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, expected at the end of the month, having been banned from European competition by UEFA for match-fixing in domestic competition.

    In the other pairings, AC Milan faces Dutch runners-up PSV Eindhoven — a rematch of the 2004-05 semi-finals which the Italians won on away goals — while French side Lyon would play Real Sociedad of Spain.

    German outfit Schalke was paired with Ukraine’s Metalist Kharkiv, who faces a UEFA hearing into match-fixing claims next Tuesday.

    Scottish champions Celtic was drawn against Kazakhstan challenger – Shakhter Karagandy.

     

     

  • Berlusconi jailed seven years

    Berlusconi jailed seven years

    AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of charges of corruption and soliciting an underage prostitute, according to goal.com.

    The 76-year-old was accused of paying for sex with Moroccan girl Karima El Mahroug in 2010, when she was 17, as well as abusing his position in public office for attempting to force her release from police custody over a charge of petty theft.

    Although prosecutors sought a six-year custodial sentence for the former Italian Premier, a court in Milan issued a seven-year punishment following the guilty verdict in addition to a lifetime ban from politics, pending any appeal from Berlusconi’s solicitors.

    However, it could be months or even years before he serves any punishment, with Berlusconi entitled to appeal the verdict twice before it becomes final.

    Berlusconi is already embroiled in several legal battles in the Italian courts. In October 2012, he was issued a four-year prison sentence for tax fraud, which has been upheld following a first appeal.

  • Balotelli joins Milan

    Balotelli joins Milan

    Manchester City and Milan have finally reached an agreement over Mario Balotelli, with the player signing a four-year-deal worth €20m plus bonuses, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The deal became official on Tuesday evening after Milan’s official television channel confirmed the transfer.

    “Mario arrives tomorrow!!!” a statement reads on Milan Channel. “There is an agreement between the two clubs.

    “Tomorrow he’ll undergo a medical and after that Mario will sign a contract with Milan until June 30, 2017.”

    It was previously suspected that the deal had fallen through after City demanded a price-tag of €37m, but the Rossoneri had managed to renegotiate to a figure of €20m to be paid over six years.

    Balotelli, a confirmed Milan fan, was a catalyst in the move after agreeing to take a pay cut of €4m per season.

     

  • Balotelli sets for AC Milan switch

    Balotelli sets for AC Milan switch

    Mario Balotelli is poised to fly to Italy as early as Monday evening ahead of a proposed medical as Manchester City and AC Milan moved to conclude negotiations over a transfer for the striker, Goal.com reports.

    The 22-year-old said his goodbyes to team-mates and club staff after completing training at Carrington on Monday morning, and could travel to Milan over the next 24 hours.

    Super agent Mino Raiola was in Milan last week in an attempt to resolve the Italy international’s future and Rossoneri Vice-president Adriano Galliani suggested on Sunday evening that there had been new developments in the saga.

    On Wednesday, Goal.com revealed that City owners had lowered their asking price to €23m having dismissed Milan’s proposal of €29m to be paid over six years, preferring a lesser fee spread over a shorter period of time.

    The Premier League champions had also demanding a 15 per cent sell-on clause as an agreement with Milan appears increasingly likely before the transfer window closes on Thursday night.

    AC Milan, according to reports, is willing to sell defender Philippe Mexes in order to free up around €4.5m-a-year on their wage bill and fund a move for Balotelli, with the Italian international willing to take a wage cut on his current €129,000-a-week salary.

    The former Inter Milan star has scored only one league goal for City this season and his relationship with manager Roberto Mancini took another turn for the worse after a training ground bust-up earlier this month.

     

  • Champions League: Man U draws Real Madrid

    Champions League: Man U draws Real Madrid

    Manchester United has been drawn against Spanish giants Real Madrid in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

    The match will see Cristiano Ronaldo return to Old Trafford for the first time since his £80m move from United to Real in June 2009, BBC reports.

    Celtic will play Italian side Juventus, while Arsenal take on last year’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich.

    Barcelona takes on AC Milan, while Borussia Dortmund faces Shakhtar Donetsk.

    Valencia will square up against Paris Saint-Germain and Porto take on Malaga, while Galatasaray will play Schalke.

    But the undoubted tie of the round sees Real take on United for the first time in nine years.

    The sides last met in the 2002-03 quarter final with the Spaniards triumphing 6-5 on aggregate.

     

    The pairings

    Galatasaray vs FC Schalke

    Celtic vs Juventus

    Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

    Shakhtar Donetsk vs Borussia Dortmund

    AC Milan vs Barcelona

    Real Madrid vs Manchester United

    Valencia vs Paris Saint-Germain

    Porto vs Malaga