Lazio have upped their bid forManchester United’s Mason Greenwood,though it falls short of his asking price. Juventus have cooled their interest, leaving the Serie A club in pole position.
Spanish teams, where Greenwood shone on loan at Getafe, are considering alternatives.
United are ready to sell Greenwood, seeing no future for him at Old Trafford. They’re seeking around €50 million (£42m/$54m), a sum many clubs find prohibitive.
Sportitalia reports Lazio have crafted a €25m (£21m/$27m) deal with a hefty sell-on clause, potentially up to 50%.
Sky Sport Italia notes Marseille are also contenders from Ligue 1.
Greenwood, capped once by England, is reportedly open to moving to France, eager to settle his future swiftly for a fresh challenge.
Lazio is facing competition from Juventus in their pursuit of Manchester United forwardMason Greenwood, according to reports.
Discussions have commenced between Lazio and United regarding a potential deal for Greenwood, who spent the previous season on loan with Getafe.
United is seeking to reach an agreement on a transfer fee around £30 million ($38.1 million), although it is anticipated that this could involve several performance-related bonuses.
A year ago, Lazio came close to securing Greenwood on loan before Getafe intervened. According to a source, United prefers negotiating a permanent transfer this summer rather than another loan arrangement.
Apart from Lazio and Juventus, other Serie A clubs, including Napoli, have also expressed interest in the 22-year-old forward.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uGdKRvh8n6g
There has also been attention from clubs in Spain, Portugal, and Germany.
Sources revealed that Greenwood and his family are open to another move abroad as he continues to rebuild his career.
The striker has not featured for United since January 2022 following his arrest on suspicion of attempted rape and assault, with the case being dismissed in February 2023.
In February, new United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe hinted that Greenwood could potentially revive his career at Old Trafford.
However, sources informed ESPN that a return to United is currently considered the least likely scenario this summer.
Greenwood impressed during his loan spell at Getafe last season, scoring 10 goals. Despite Getafe’s interest in bringing him back to the club, they are unable to meet United’sfinancial demands.
Lazio announced on Wednesday that Maurizio Sarri has stepped down as coach, with assistant Giovanni Martusciello set to take over his role.
“S.S. Lazio announces that Maurizio Sarri has handed in his resignation as head coach of the first team,” the club said in a statement. “The club would like to thank the coach for his achievements and for the work he has done, wishing him the best of luck in his professional and personal life.
“At the same time, the club communicates that it has decided to entrust Giovanni Martusciello with the technical leadership.”
Italian media outlets reported that 65-year-old Maurizio Sarri submitted his resignation to the management of Lazio on Tuesday. Sarri has been in charge of Lazio since 2021.
The team’s recent performance has been disappointing, culminating in a 2-1 home loss to Udinese. Currently, Lazio sits ninth in the Serie A standings, accumulating 40 points from 28 games.
Their form has declined significantly, with five losses in their last six matches across all competitions. Sarri took over Lazio in June 2021, succeeding Simone Inzaghi, who departed for Inter Milan.
Despite rumours suggesting Sarri’s possible dismissal after a 3-0 defeat toBayern Munich in the Champions League, Lazio clarified that his contract was set to expire in 2025.
The defeat leaves Bayern facing a challenging task to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.
The decisive goal came from Ciro Immobile’s penalty in the first leg of the last 16 tie held in Rome.
“In the first half, we had to take the lead. We had three clear chances. We have to do these things,” Tuchel told DAZN. The second half was “characterised by uncertainty again,” he said. “It was a bit slapstick.”
Bayern’s efforts were hindered by the sending-off of Dayot Upamecano, who received a red card for colliding with Gustav Isaksen in the penalty area. Immobile capitalised on the opportunity, converting the ensuing penalty kick.
“We made a lot of individual mistakes and we conceded a penalty and a red card out of absolutely nothing,” Tuchel said in the post-match press conference. With the performance, we did everything to lose this game, which was completely in our hands.”
The defeat in Rome follows the 3-0 reverse against Bayer Leverkusen, which leaves Bayern five points off the pace in the Bundesliga title race.
Last month, Manchester United officially confirmed Greenwood’s departure from Old Trafford, following an extensive internal investigation involving the forward.
In 2022, Greenwood faced charges of attempted rape, domestic violence, and controlling behavior, but these legal proceedings were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service due to the lack of a realistic chance of conviction.
Various clubs from Germany, Italy, Spain, and Turkey have recently expressed interest in Greenwood.
Manchester United were also believed to have offered the player to Lazio, with manager Maurizio Sarri reportedly having the final say on whether the Serie A club would sign the striker.
However, according to Gianluca Di Marzio’s report, Lazio has decided against offering him a contract. It appears that the two clubs couldn’t reach an agreement before the close of the transfer window.
With a move to Italy no longer on the table,Greenwood’s options are dwindling. There’s still a possibility of a transfer to Saudi Arabia before September 7, although sources in the Saudi Pro League have ruled out such a deal.
Turkey remains another option, as Super League clubs have until September 15 to complete transfers. Besiktas has recently been linked with a potential move for Greenwood.
Lazio has declared that some of its supporters who made fascist salutes against AS Roma on Sunday have been permanently barred.
Several Lazio supporters were observed giving fascist salutes and chanting anti-semitic phrases during the game, which Lazio won courtesy to a single Mattia Zaccagni goal.
In viral video, a fan was also seen sporting a Lazio shirt with the words “Hitlerson” and the number 88 on the back.
Lazio claimed in a statement issued on March 22 that they had been working with law enforcement and had been able to identify those responsible. Three supporters received lifetime bans as a result.
The statement read; “In the course of Sunday’s match, Lazio v Roma, and in the days immediately following, three people were identified who were the protagonists of behaviour that had nothing to do with supporting and which manifested forms of discrimination and anti-Semitism.
“Thanks to the collaboration between Società Sportiva Lazio, its own security service, stewards and the police, also through the use of the surveillance cameras at the Stadio Olimpico, it was possible to quickly identify a person wearing the shirt with the number 88 bearing the inscription “Hitlerson” and two others who ostentatiously made the gesture of the Roman salute”.
It is not the first time anti-semitism has dominated the Rome derby, with references to Jewish prisoner of war Anne Frank often abhorrently referenced by Lazio supporters to their Roma neighbours.
Lazio president Claudio Lotito insisted Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is “not for sale” amid growing links to Serie A rivals Juventus.
The midfielder will be playing in Qatar for the World Cup with Serbia this month, though reports in Italy suggest Milinkovic-Savic could be on the move soon after once the January transfer window arrives.
Manchester United have previously been linked with the 27-year-old, while Massimiliano Allegri’s side now appear to be the frontrunners to sign the Serbia international.
But Lotito attempted to put the speculation to an end on Saturday, telling Italian newspaper Il Messaggero the Lazio star’s future was not up for discussion.
“Everyone says he’s going here, he’s going there but he’s not for sale, we know what he’s worth for me and for Lazio,” Lotito said.
“We are having ongoing talks about a contract renewal.”
Milinkovic-Savic has impressed in Serie A once again this year, with no Italian top-flight player managing more than his 12 assists in 2022 before the World Cup break.
Only six midfielders have registered more goal contributions in Europe’s top five leagues this season than Milinkovic Savic (12), though fellow midfielder Luis Alberto has failed to impress for Lazio.
Former Liverpool and Sevilla man Luis Alberto has fallen down the pecking order under Maurizio Sarri, though Lotito says he will not let the 30-year-old leave on loan in the next transfer window.
“If he wants to leave, bring a team with money, because I really don’t think about giving him on loan in January,” he added. “And I haven’t received any requests from Atletico [Madrid].
“At the moment, the situation hasn’t changed compared to the summer when Sevilla were perhaps interested.
“I will not play any games. Luis Alberto is a talented player, an added value for Lazio and a compromise can still be found.
“He has to accept the coach’s choices and Sarri can be more understanding because every player has a different character. They can’t all have the same mental strength as Pedro.”
Maurizio Sarri has aired his frustration over the consistent speculation on Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and his future, amid frequent links with a move to Serie A rivals Juventus.
The Serbia international has been one of the form players of the campaign in the Italian top flight, with three goals and six assists for a total of nine involvements so far this term.
That form has not gone unnoticed, and Milinkovic-Savic has been subsequently mooted as a major transfer target, with La Gazetto dello Sport running a splash page on a potential Bianconeri switch.
It is not the first time the playmaker has been the subject of intense speculation, but the feverish nature has irked Sarri now, who believes too much hyperbole is being spun about his player.
“I think there is too much noise around him,” he stated ahead of his side’s UEFA Europe League clash with Sturm Graz.
“The day after our 4-0 win [over Fiorentina] a paper put his name on their front page [about] transfers.
“Milinkovic-Savic, he has room for improvement. You can see that from how many balls he loses.”
Lazio’s president Claudio Lotito previously warned potential suitors that Milinkovic-Savic would cost a minimum of €120million for any interested party to pry him away from the capital.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has not agreed a January move to Juventus, according to Lazio owner Claudio Lotito.
The Serbian midfielder has impressed this season with three goals and seven assists in his nine Serie A games, helping Maurizio Sarri’s side climb to third.
Such form is said to have piqued the interest of Juventus, with reports suggesting the Bianconeri will plan to offer up to €60million, including bonuses.
But Lotito told Il Messaggero: “I have no agreement with his agent [Mateja] Kezman to sell him to Juventus or anyone else in the winter.
“On the contrary, he is now worth €120m, not €100m. Every month the price goes up.”
🆕 Most in-form players in Europe’s top 5 leagues:
🥇 Leo Messi – 8.77 form rating
🥈 Erling Haaland – 8.58
🥉 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – 8.30 pic.twitter.com/CmaHNGo46B
The transfer talk emerged after Lazio’s convincing 4-0 win against Fiorentina on Tuesday, with Milinkovic-Savic adding to his tally with two more assists.
When asked about the performance, Lotito said: “I am satisfied with the spirit I saw again. As I have already said, if we continue with this attitude, we will not set ourselves limits and we can go far.”
Lazio face Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday before Sunday’s league fixture against fourth-place Udinese.
