MANCHESTER UNITED TARGET SPEAKS OUT ON FUTURE AHEAD OF RELEASE CLAUSE DEADLINE

Moise Kean had a brilliant last season with Fiorentina (Picture: Getty Images)

Manchester United target Moise Kean has suggested his immediate future lies with Fiorentina, with Tuesday a pivotal day in his career.

The Italy international was in fine form for Fiorentina last season , scoring 19 Serie A goals and 25 in all competitions.

He joined La Viola last year after a poor run at Juventus, but his career has returned to an upward trajectory in Florence, with only Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui (25) out-scoring him in Serie A.

Unsurprisingly the 25-year-old’s form has attracted attention, with Manchester United thought to be interested in signing Kean this summer.

Interest is particularly high as a release clause in the striker’s contract with Fiorentina means he is available for a fee of €52million (£44.5m) between July 1-15.

It is hardly pocket change, but could prove to be great value in today’s transfer market.

Kean has spoken out on his future ahead of that release clause expiring on Tuesday and it sounds like he is very happy at Fiorentina and not looking to leave.

Speaking at an event to unveil manager Stefano Pioli on his return to the club, Kean said: ‘I’m very motivated to move forward. Fiorentina has given me so much and has always supported me.

‘Now it’s important to return with renewed motivation and give my best for Fiorentina.’

That is not to say that clubs will not attempt a late move for the Italian before his release clause deadline, but the player does not appear to be pushing for a move.

A return to the Premier League now looks unlikely this summer, with Kean having a forgettable spell at Everton from 2019-21.

Moise Kean in the Premier League

Kean signed for Everton from Juventus in August 2019 for an initial £25.1m, before returning to the Turin club two years later.

His stint in England was underwhelming to say the least.

Apps: 32

Goals: 2

Assists: 2

Moise Kean during his Everton stint in 2020 (Picture: Getty Images)

Manchester United continue to look for a new striker, with their pursuit of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo continuing but dragging somewhat.

Two bids have been rejected by the Bees and a third is expected, but the player is reportedly frustrated with how long the process is taking.

The Cameroon international remains keen on the switch to Old Trafford and he is the Red Devils’ number one target, but negotiations have been slow.

- Phil Haigh

JUVE LOST BIG TIME TO FIORENTINA 😲😳

 

FEDERICO CHIESA IN LIVERPOOL SQUAD FOR UCL TRIP TO AC MILAN

Federico Chiesa is part of the Liverpool squad that will face Milan in the Champions League. Getty Images

Arne Slot said Federico Chiesa is still not fit to start for Liverpool, despite naming the Italy forward in his squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash against AC Milan in the San Siro.

Chiesa, 26, sealed a £10 million transfer from Juventus to Liverpool during the final week of the summer window last month -- a deal which saw him become the only addition to Slot's squad following the departure of former manager Jurgen Klopp last season.

Liverpool also signed goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but the Georgia international was immediately loaned back to Valencia.

Former Fiorentina player Chiesa has been hit by a succession of serious injuries since helping Italy to Euro 2020 success in 2021 and he arrived at Anfield having last played a competitive game in Italy's Euro 2024 exit against Switzerland in July.

And Liverpool boss Slot said that, while Chiesa could make his first appearance against Milan, his best hope is of a late outing from the substitutes' bench.

"He [Chiesa] is for the first time in our team selection," Slot said at his pre-match press conference in Milan. "And since I said it's the first time he's in the selection, it would be a big surprise for him and for everyone if he would start tomorrow.

"So I don't think you should expect that he starts, but he can make a few minutes for the first time tomorrow if we need him and that is something we will see.

"But don't expect him to be there from in the starting lineup. He's been with Juve, training on his own for a long time, and now with us for a few weeks.

"He has had some training time, but it's too early for him to play 90 minutes. Hopefully he can make his first minutes in the upcoming fixtures."

Despite Chiesa's troubled recent fitness record, Slot said that he can still have an impact at Liverpool when he is fully fit.

"I always like to bring in quality players and I think that he is a quality player that combines quality with an enormous work rate," Slot said. "The culture of this club and the culture of this team is working really hard when we don't have the ball.

"And I think he brings this to his game in combination with scoring goals in combination with he can play in several positions upfront."

- Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC

CELEBRATIONS IN GREECE AS OLYMPIAKOS BEAT FIORENTIINA 1-0 FOR FIRST EUROPEAN TITLE

AP Photo 

 ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Setting off wild celebrations in Athens, Olympiakos won Greece’s first European club title by beating Fiorentina 1-0 with a goal in extra time of the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

Ayoub El Kaabi provided the dramatic ending, diving to nudge in a last-gasp goal in the second period of extra time, with fans erupting in celebration after a lengthy wait for a VAR check for offside.

“Praise be to God, we promised our supporters we’d do this today and we did it,” El Kaabi said.

The Morocco striker – who finished as the competition’s top scorer – struck in the 116th minute of the match and dropped to his knees as he waited to see if the goal would stand after he had met a cross from Santiago Hezze.

AP Photo 

The goal decided a game that had looked destined for a penalty shootout following an energetic but largely risk-free encounter at AEK Arena, and condemned Fiorentina and its coach Vincenzo Italiano to a second straight defeat in the final of the Europa Conference League after losing last year to West Ham.

“We created chances and had the opportunity to lift the cup but unfortunately it didn't happy – I'm sorry,” Italiano said. “In Europe it’s not an easy thing to get this far and lose.”

Olympiakos coach Jose Luis Mendilibar secured a second straight European title after winning the Europa League with Sevilla last season.

“It’s an honor to have made all these people happy, I feel immense joy and happiness to have made people feel this way and I dedicate it to them,” Mendilibar said.

"We have achieved something that our club has never achieved before. We will celebrate it and celebrate it the way we should. Then we will start working on what comes next.” Tens of thousands of Olympiakos fans joined boisterous celebrations across the Greek capital after attending outdoor viewing parties. Youths held up lit flares in the port city of Piraeus, near Athens, where the team is based.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described Olympiakos as “a true legend,” adding in an online post: “Olympiakos has won the Europa Conference League and made history! A sensational night for the club itself, but also for Greek football as a whole.”

AP Photo 

The third-tier European club competition took place amid a massive security operation, with some 5,000 police officers forming concentric cordons around a northern area of the capital – amid Europe-wide security concerns this summer for major sporting events including the Paris Olympics and European soccer championship in Germany.

The final was briefly marred by scuffles between Fiorentina fans inside the stadium and riot police next to them.

Although the visitors dominated the early stages of the final, Fiorentina goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano kept his team in the game with two impressive fingertip saves to block on-target shots from Daniel Podence in the fourth minute and Stevan Jovetic in the sixth minute of extra time.

El Kaabi, who scored a total of 11 goals in the competition, had been largely sidelined in the match by Fiorentina's unyielding four-man defense.

Olympiakos players celebrated with 15,000 fans after the game, some holding their young children as golden confetti was fired into the air around the awards podium.

“It’s the best emotion I’ve felt so far in my career,” defender Panagiotis Retsos said. "I’ve had a lot of ups-and-downs but I’m very, very happy to be here.” ___

Nicholas Paphitis and Michael Varaklas in Athens, Greece contributed.

- DEREK GATOPOULOS

AC MILAN COACH PIOLI LEAVING AT THE END OF THE SEASON,

AP Photo 

 MILAN, Italy (AP) — AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli is leaving the Italian club at the end of the season after a near five-year stint that included the 2022 Serie A title.

Milan announced Pioli’s departure on Friday, a day before its final league game of the season at home to Salernitana.

Pioli stepping down had been widely expected, with club great Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who has been given a front-office role by Milan's American owners — reportedly already involved in the search for a successor.

The club thanked Pioli for “securing an unforgettable league title and re-establishing AC Milan’s consistent presence in the top European competition.”

“Stefano’s professionalism and human touch have significantly contributed to the growth of the squad, embodying the club’s core values from day one,” Milan said in a statement.

The 2022 league title was Milan's first in 11 years. It will finish this season in second place, behind crosstown rival Inter Milan.

Milan was taken over after its 2022 title by American investment firm RedBird Capital. Pioli's future had been in doubt since February, when RedBird owner Gerry Cardinale and Ibrahimović declined to commit to him when asked about speculation of a coaching change after the season.

Reports in Italy have linked Pioli to taking over Napoli. The 58-year-old coach also previously coached Inter, Fiorentina, Lazio, Bologna, Parma and several other clubs.

Under Pioli, Milan ended a seven-year absence from the Champions League in 2021 and reached the semifinals last season, losing to Inter.

This season, Pioli's team failed to advance from a tough group that included Borussia Dortmund, which plays in the final next week, and Paris Saint-Germain. Milan then switched to the second-tier Europa League and was eliminated by Roma in the quarterfinals.

Inter's runaway Serie A title success has established its supremacy in the city and Italian soccer, despite financial turmoil that saw the club also fall into American ownership this week. Both Milan and Inter had Chinese owners who lost control of the clubs to American investment funds after missing loan repayments.

BOLOGNA REMAINS IN CONTENTION FOR CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLACE WITH A 2-1 WIN AT LAZIO IN SERIE A

AP

 ROME (AP) — Bologna remained in contention for a Champions League place with a 2-1 comeback victory at Lazio in Serie A on Sunday.

Oussama El Azzouzi and Joshua Zirkzee scored for Bologna after Gustav Isasksen had given Lazio an early advantage.

Bologna’s fourth straight victory moved it back into fifth place, level on points with fourth-placed Atalanta. Lazio remained eighth.

Lazio complained to league officials about the early lunchtime kickoff coming four days after a victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.

Fiorentina was held to a 1-1 draw at Empoli in a Tuscan derby and Udinese and Cagliari also drew 1-1.

Later, AC Milan had a chance to leapfrog Juventus into second place with a win at neighboring Monza; and Roma was visiting Frosinone.

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON: FORMER ENGLAND MANAGER SAYS HE HAS CANCER AND 'BEST CASE A YEAR' TO LIVE

Sven-Goran Eriksson says he has "best case a year" to live after being diagnosed with cancer.

The 75-year-old Swede was the first foreign coach to manage England and led the side to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup and 2004 Euros.

"I'm going to resist for as long as I can," Eriksson told Swedish Radio P1.

"I have an illness that's serious. Best case a year, I have worst case a lot less. It's impossible to say exactly, so it's better to not think about it."

Eriksson, who had a 42-year career in management, stood down from his most recent role as sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad 11 months ago because of health issues.

He said he was trying to stay positive and "make something good" from his cancer diagnosis.

FIORENTINA PRESIDENT CALLS WEST HAM 'ANIMALS' AFTER EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE FINAL

Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso branded West Ham as “animals” after losing the Europa Conference League final.

Jarrod Bowen scored a last-minute winner to end a 43-year wait for a major trophy for the east London club.

It was an ill-tempered affair both on and off the pitch in Prague with sixteen arrests made prior to kick-off after Fiorentina supporters attacked a group of West Ham fans.

WEST HAM BEATS FIORENTINA TO WIN EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE AS BOWDEN GRABS LATE-MINUTE WINNER

 

"West Ham's Jarrod Bowen scored a dramatic winner in the 90th minute to give his side a 2-1 victory against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

The win ended the Hammers' 43-year wait since they last lifted a major trophy, the FA Cup in 1980. And it is 58 years since they last clinched a European trophy when the great Bobby Moore captained them to glory in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1965."

SPEZIA 1-2 FIORENTINA | SERIE A

FIORENTINA 3-0 SPEZIA | FIORENTINA TAKE ALL 3 POINTS IN THEIR TIE AGAINST SPEZIA | SERIE A TIM

NAPOLI 6-0 FIORENTINA | INSINGE SHINES IN BIG NAPOLI WIN | SERIE A TIM

JUVENTUS 0-3 FIORENTINA | HUGE SHOCK AS FIORENTINA WIN BIG AT JUVENTUS

FIORENTINA: ITALIA IS MOURNING THE PASSING OF FIORENTINA CAPTAIN AND ITALIAN INTERNATIONAL

Italian international and Fiorentina captain, Davide Astori, has passed away at age 31 due to short illness...

FIORENTINA: ITALIA IS MOURNING THE PASSING OF FIORENTINA CAPTAIN AND ITALIAN INTERNATIONAL

Italian international and Fiorentina captain, Davide Astori, has passed away at age 31 due to short illness...

CHELSEA FC: 23 MILLION POUNDS MARCOS ALONSO CONFIRMED

Chelsea has confirmed the signing of Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina...The 23 year-old stared his career at Real Madrid before moving to Bolton and also he spent some time on loan at Sunderland.