Sky Sport Italia reports that Marco Palestra is closing in on a move to Inter after the latest meeting between the Serie A champions and Atalanta today.

Inter are close to reaching a full agreement with Atalanta for Palestra, according to Sky Sport Italia.

Latest meeting brings Palestra closer to Inter

The Italian broadcasters claim that a meeting between the two clubs took place on Thursday morning, helping the newly crowned Serie A champions move closer to Atalanta’s demands.

According to the report, the two parties hope to shake hands by the end of next week.

Currently, the two parties are discussing the bonus structure and a potential sell-on clause for Atalanta, so an agreement is not too far away.

Palestra has also attracted interest from the Premier League, especially Chelsea and Manchester City.

Sky Sport, however, already reported a few days ago that the promising Italian defender was willing to wait for Inter and Atalanta to reach an agreement, having prioritised a move to San Siro.

Inter have planned to make Palestra their replacement for Denzel Dumfries, who is set to move to Real Madrid in a €20m deal.

 

Sky Sport Italia reports that Chelsea have joined the race to sign Marco Palestra by opening preliminary talks with the defender’s agent.

Chelsea are among the clubs interested in Atalanta-owned right-back Palestra, according to Sky Sport Italia.

Palestra spent the 2025-26 campaign on loan at Cagliari, resulting in one of the most promising defenders in Italy’s top flight, and attracting interest from other top clubs such as Inter and Manchester City.

Chelsea open talks with Palestra

It is believed that Atalanta’s asking price exceeds €50m, and according to Sky, Chelsea have now made contact with the defender’s agent, Alessandro Lucci, who is also the representative of Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori.

According to Sky, Palestra is keen to remain in Serie A, so his priority remains to wait for Inter and Atalanta to reach an agreement over his transfer fee.

Palestra made his senior Italy debut in March 2026 and has two international appearances to his name.

Atalanta are prepared to sell him, but Inter still haven’t reached an agreement with La Dea.

Bu ilin yayında “Latsio” ilə yollarını ayırmış Mauritsio Sarri İtaliya A Seriyasının digər təmsilçisi “Atalanta”ya baş məşqçi təyin edilib.

Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Berqamo təmsilçisi məlumat yayıb.

67 yaşlı mütəxəssis yeni klubu ilə 3 illik (2029-cu ilin 30 iyununadək) müqavilə bağlayıb. İtaliyalı mütəxəssis bu postda həmyerlisi Raffaele Palladinonu əvəzləyib.

Xatırladaq ki, Palladino ötən ilin noyabrından Berqamo təmsilçisinə rəhbərlik etməyə başlamışdı. “Atalanta” onun rəhbərliyi altında 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümündə İtaliya A Seriyasını 7-ci pillədə tamamlayıb və Konfrans Liqasında iştirak hüququ qazanıb.

Raffaele Palladino “Atalanta”nı bütövlükdə 39 oyuna çıxarıb. Berqamo təmsilçisi bu görüşlərdə 18 qələbə, 8 heç-heçə görüb, 13 məğlubiyyət yaşayıb.

42 yaşlı italyan mütəxəssis daha öncə “Fiorentina” və “Montsa”ya da rəhbərlik edib.

Mauritsio Sarri isə 2025-ci ilin iyun ayında “Latsio”ya qayıtmışdı. 66 yaşlı mütəxəssisin paytaxt klubu ilə 2027-ci ilin 30 iyununadək müqaviləsi mövcud idi. Amma klub rəhbərliyi uğursuz mövsümdən sonra onunla vidalaşmağa qərar vermişdi. Sarri 2021-ci ilin iyun ayından 2024-cü ilin martına kimi də “Latsio”ya rəhbərlik edib.

“Latsio”ya qədər Sarri “Yuventus”, “Çelsi”, “Napoli”, “Empoli”, “Sorrento”, “Alessandriya”, “Qrosseto”, “Peruca”, “Verona”, “Avellino”, “Aresso”, “Peskara”, “Sancovanneze”, “Sansovino” ilə işləyib.

Roma are casting their net widely in the search for right-sided reinforcements ahead of their Champions League return, with Nicolò Savona emerging as a potential target as Gian Piero Gasperini looks to strengthen the squad that finished third in Serie A last season.

According to Il Messaggero, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Savona could leave Nottingham Forest during this summer’s window, making him an attainable option for a Roma side that must also balance their financial obligations under UEFA’s settlement agreement before the end of June.

The former Juventus defender joined Forest last summer in a deal worth €13 million and has experience of playing in both Italy and England.

Zappacosta joins Savona on Roma radar but Atalanta move considered more complicated

Davide Zappacosta is another name Roma have considered for the right flank, but a move for the Atalanta wing-back is considered significantly more difficult to engineer.

Gasperini knows Zappacosta well from his time in Bergamo, which gives the pursuit a personal dimension, but Atalanta’s asking price and the player’s own situation make it a harder deal to structure than the Savona alternative.

Maurizio Sarri has been officially appointed as Atalanta head coach, bringing one of Italian football’s most distinctive tactical minds to Bergamo as the club prepare for their first Conference League campaign.

The club welcomed the Italian with a statement published on their official website.

The 67-year-old arrives with a storied CV: over 800 professional matches managed, a UEFA Europa League title with Chelsea, a Serie A Scudetto with Juventus and three consecutive seasons of breaking Napoli’s points record under his belt.

Most recently he led Lazio to the Coppa Italia final, having previously guided the Biancocelesti to the Champions League Round of 16 in 2023/24, described in the statement as the second-best European result in the Roman club’s history.

Sarri reunites with Giuntoli at Atalanta after transformative Napoli partnership

The appointment also represents a reunion with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, with whom Sarri worked closely during his transformative years at Napoli between 2015 and 2018.

That partnership produced some of the most thrilling football Italian football has seen in the modern era, and Atalanta will be hoping lightning strikes twice.

Born in Naples but raised in Tuscany, with a childhood spell in the Bergamo area, Sarri’s connection to the region adds a personal dimension to one of the most intriguing coaching appointments of the summer.

Sweden face Tunisia in their World Cup Group F opener in Monterrey, Mexico, with the group already underway after Netherlands and Japan played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the day.

Sweden vs Tunisia is the final kick-off in a day that was packed full of games; with the competition in full swing now.

The match takes place in a spectacular arena, with mountain views in the background, setting the stage for a must-win game for both sides in a tricky group.

Atalanta defender Isak Hien starts in central defence for Sweden, while Udinese midfielder Jesper Karlstrom lines up in the middle of the park.

Tunisia, meanwhile, field no players with current Serie A connections in their starting eleven, but benched centre-back Dylan Bronn spent several years with Salernitana in Serie A and B, meaning there is, overall, only a modest amount of Calcio involvement this evening.

Sweden vs Tunisia – World Cup Lineups

Sweden: Nordfeldt; Lagerbielke, Lindelof, Hien, Bernhardsson, Gudmundsson, Nygren, Karlstrom, Ayari, Isak, Gyokeres
Tunisia: Chamakh, Abdi, Talbi, Rekik, Valery, Ben Hmida, Hannibal, Khedira, Skhiri, Slimane, Saad

Ivory Coast vs Ecuador meet in their World Cup Group E opener in Philadelphia, with Germany having already set the early pace in the group by thrashing Curacao 7-1 earlier today.

Atalanta defender Odilon Kossounou is named among the Ivory Coast substitutes, while Roma’s Evan Ndicka features on the bench also due to a fitness concern.

Inter’s Ange-Yoan Bonny, who switched international allegiances from France ahead of the tournament, is also among the substitutes.

Former Milan midfielder Franck Kessie starts in midfield alongside Seko Fofana, with Elye Wahi and Nicolas Pepe in attack.

Ex Atalanta forward Amad Diallo is also among the substitutes for the African side.

For Ecuador, Venezia forward John Yeboah starts up front, while Milan full-back Pervis Estupinan is named among the substitutes. Juventus and Inter defensive target Joel Ordonez starts in central defence.

Ivory Coast vs Ecuador – Official Lineups

Ivory Coast: Fofana; Konan, Singo, Doue, Agbadou; S.Fofana, Kessie; Diomande, Wahi, Pepe; Toure.

Ecuador: Galindez; Hincapie, Ordonez, Pacho; Minda, Vite, Franco, Caicedo; Yeboah, Valencia, Plata.

Juventus striker Jonathan David was rated 5/10 by Gazzetta dello Sport after Canada’s World Cup opener, but Serie A pair Sead Kolasinac and Ismael Koné were among the best players on the field.

Canada, one of the host countries of the 2026 World Cup, were held to a 1-1 draw by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their first game in the tournament on Friday.

Gazzetta reacts to David’s display in Canada 1-1 Bosnia

It was a match that left the Italy national team with plenty of regrets, as they were knocked out of the World Cup play-off final by Bosnia this past March.

Juventus striker David started the game, but was subbed off around the hour mark. David had a big chance at minute 16, but his shot from inside the box was too weak and easily saved by Bosnia keeper Nikola Vasilj.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport rated David 5/10, writing: “Tell Carnevali that he [David] wasted a chance with his left foot.”

Carnevali is the new Juventus General Manager and CEO, appointed on Friday to replace Damien Comolli.

On the other hand, another Canadian Serie A player, Sassuolo’s Koné, was praised by Gazzetta, called the “Midfield Prime Minister” and rated 6.5/10.

Atalanta defender Kolasinac was the best player on the field for Bosnia, according to the pink paper, and was also rated 6.5/10.

Kolasinac’s compatriot Tarik Muharemovic, a teammate of Koné at Sassuolo, was rated 5.5/10 after losing the duel that led to Canada’s equaliser.

Napoli face a defining decision over the future of Antonio Vergara, with the 23-year-old midfielder attracting significant interest from clubs across Italy and England as his valuation rockets to at least €30 million following an impressive season under Antonio Conte.

The question internally is straightforward but far from easy to answer, commit to Vergara as a cornerstone of the new project, or cash in on a substantial profit while the market is at its peak.

His technical quality and personality in training have convinced the club of his potential, but the level of external interest is making that decision increasingly difficult to defer, according to reports from Sportmediaset, via TuttoMercatoWeb.

Spurs, Atalanta and Roma join Como in race for Vergara

In Serie A, Como have been the most prominently linked club, but as per the reports, both Atalanta and Roma have also made multiple enquiries to monitor his development.

The interest extends beyond Italy’s borders, with Tottenham understood to have placed Vergara on their list of priority young targets, and further Premier League clubs are expected to enter the race in the coming weeks.

For Napoli, the situation is a familiar but uncomfortable one.

Developing talent only to face pressure to sell at the peak of their value is a cycle the club know well, and with a new coach yet to be officially confirmed, the decision over Vergara may ultimately hinge on who takes the dugout and whether they see him as central to their plans.