Roberto Mancini is set to call several new faces for Italy's Nations League matches against Belgium and Turkiye, locking down Samuele Inacio, Issa Doumbia and Alessandro Romano to the Azzurri.
The ***** onale begin their second era under Mancini with the home game against Belgium on September 25 in Rome's Stadio Olimpico, then visit Vincenzo Montella's Turkiye on September 28.
France complete the group and that first encounter will be on October 2 in Paris.
PARMA, ITALY – AUGUST 22: (L-R) Leonardo Bonucci and Roberto Mancini attend the Serie A match between Parma Calcio and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on August 22, 2026 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images)
According to Sky Sport Italia, Mancini has already contacted almost 70 players to let them know they are up for consideration, although ultimately only around 30 will actually be called up.

#mancini #Belgium #stadio

Karl-Anthony Towns now has two rings in the last two months. The NBA superstar helped lead the New York Knicks to their first championship in 53 years in June and married his longtime girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, on Saturday.
The ceremony was held in Malibu, California. Several A-list celebrities attended the event, which had the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop.
MORE: Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordyn Woods share major life news on Christmas
Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber and Jada Pinkett-Smith were among the celebrities in attendance. Michael B. Jordan, Gayle King Ben Stiller Teyana Taylor and Christine Taylor, among many others, were also present.
All the guests wore black, with Woods the only one in white. She has been supporting Towns since they started dating, often watching games live. The 7-foot center played for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2015 to 2024. The team traded him on Oct. 2, 2024 in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a future first-round pick.

#karl #anthony

As expected, former Juventus and Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic is travelling to Istanbul to sign for Besiktas as a free agent, reuniting with coach Vincenzo Italiano.
The centre-forward was out of contract since his agreement with Juve was allowed to expire on June 30.
He had been hoping for another Serie A switch to Napoli or Milan, with an eye on potential Premier League interest from ******* nal and Chelsea, plus Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.
However, none of them were willing to meet his wage demands, so he relented and accepted the offer from Besiktas.
LECCE, ITALY – MAY 09: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus FC celebrates the opening goal during the Serie A match between US Lecce and Juventus FC at Stadio Via del Mare on May 09, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

#vlahovic #serie #vincenzo

For months, Dušan Vlahović's career has been all but speculation.
After a will-they-won't-they phase with Juventus, it was finally confirmed that the Serbian would leave Turin, only to be plunged into the next phase of uncertainty.
Now, that is drawing to a close. As confirmed by TUTTOmercatoWEB, the 26-year-old has agreed a three-year deal with Beşiktaş.
In İstanbul, he is set to team up with Vincenzo Italiano again, with whom he achieved breakthrough success at Fiorentina that prompted Juve to splurge €75 million to bring him to Allianz Arena.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport, Vlahović is set to earn a net annual salary of €8 million per year at Beşiktaş plus add-ons, including a sign-on bonus ranging between €15 and €20 million.

#vlahovi #confirmed #ikta #juventus

SC Freiburg and Mainz 05 recorded wins over French teams in friendlies played on Saturday. The Europa League finalists extended Strasbourg's poor pre-season with two 2-0 victories, while Mainz stunningly beat Paris FC 4-0.
The first game between Freiburg and Strasbourg was played with two 35-minute halves. Youngster Rouven Tarnutzer and evergreen winger Vincenzo Grifo scored the goals inside the first 20 minutes.
Lucas Höler scored both goals for Freiburg with headers as they later repeated that scoreline when the two clubs played 90 minutes with different lineups. Including another heavy defeat to Bundesliga debutants Elversberg, Strasbourg are yet to score a goal in preseason.
Meanwhile, Mainz thrashed Paris FC 4-0 at Bruchwegstadion on Saturday. Peruvian center-back Fabio Gruber opened the scoring for his new club in the 20th minute. Phillip Tietz doubled their lead before the break.
Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer and Kacper Potulski added more goals in the last ten minutes. The former HSV striker is in very good form during Mainz's pre-season.

#goals

Besiktas President Serdal Adali confirmed they are 'talking to Dusan Vlahovic' about a deal for the former Juventus striker, after refusing to meet Mohamed Salah's terms.
The Turkish club is confident it has a secret weapon in tempting Vlahovic to the Super Lig, specifically the presence of coach Vincenzo Italiano, who already worked with the Serbian at Fiorentina.
The forward has been a free agent since July 1, when his contract with Juventus was allowed to run down.
TURIN, ITALY – MAY 03: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus FC celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and **** as Verona FC at Allianz Stadium on May 3, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
He had left the door open for a potential new deal with Juve at a reduced salary, but has largely been waiting for the big clubs in the Premier League, LaLiga or Bundesliga to make him an offer.

#dusan #italy #besiktas #serdal

Fabio Paratici's busy summer continues with Fiorentina's 7th incoming transfer of the season (9th if you count the loan redemptions for Marco Brescianini and Giovanni Fabbian). The DS has gone back to familiar territory again and grabbed rightback João Mário on loan from Juventus. According to LaViola.it, it's a €1.8 million initial fee and a €9.5 million option.
I wasn't particularly high on this move when the rumor broke a couple weeks ago and I'm no higher now. João Mário Neto Lopes is 26 and has 3 caps for Portugal but I don't see him as anything more than a depth piece. He's got the requisite pace and technical ability to look very good in a YouTube compilation, sure, but his disastrous defending means that he struggles to make a positive impact over 90 minutes.
A Porto product, João Mário moved to the Juvenuts last year for €12 million but suffered a Mattia Vitiesque trajectory: unable to get on the pitch for either Igor Tudor or Luciano Spalletti, he was loaned to Bologna in January but failed to elbow past Nadir Zortea for minutes under Vincenzo Italiano and the Oscar Mayers declined his option. I can't imagine he'll shoulder past (sigh) Alex Jimenez in Florence. His arrival also sounds the death knell on Dodô's time with the club.
That's enough negativity for now. João Mário should be Perfectly Fine as a low-cost backup. If he pops, another €9.5 million won't feel onerous at all. After all, this is a guy in his athletic prime with plenty of Champions League experience. The worst-case scenario is that he rides the bench for a season and then returns to Turin. My fervent hope, however, is that he bursts into the team and starts all 38 Serie A games, wowing everyone with his two-way play and cementing himself in Fabio Grosso's XI because that would mean noted creep Jimenez wouldn't be playing for this team.
Hey, all of a sudden I'm a huge João Mário fan. Bem-vindo e boa sorte!

#jimenez #season

Just under two weeks ago, Sergio Navarro's journey as Head Coach of the Milan Futuro project officially began, immediately getting to work on the training pitch. Elsewhere within the Club setup this season, every level of AC Milan's youth sector will continue to operate as part of an integrated structure. It is now the third year of the close day-to-day collaboration between Jovan Kirovski and Vincenzo Vergine, a partnership highlighted by Club Owner Gerry Cardinale during the official presentation of Rúben Amorim at Casa Milan on 8 July. In that vein, a similar principle of shared vision and unified approach will also define the work of Sergio Navarro with Milan Futuro and Giovanni Renna with the Primavera side. The two coaches will work closely together, while maintaining the same collaborative relationship with the coaches across the Club's younger age groups.
The goal will not be the result of a single match or the final standings, but the development of talent for the Milan of the future. The work will be synergistic and shared, and the choice of Navarro went precisely in this direction, toward the parameter of growth and the development of young players. Navarro's calling has always been precisely to favor the development of youth academy players. An experience he has lived on both sides. The new coach of the Milan Futuro project was a leading figure in the Spanish youth academy system, considered for some time now the best in Europe, but he also knows the needs of first teams when they see a young player arrive in the squad, having coached at 'senior' level in both Ukraine and Hungary.
The new AC Milan 2026/27 Home Kit and Away Kit are here: buy them now!

#futuro #work #Youth #development

Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella is mourning the death of his sister Caterina, who died in hospital following a domestic accident, the Turkish football ***** ociation said on Wednesday.
Doctors fought for her life for days, according to a statement.
"As the Turkish Football Federation, we would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased, in particular our senior national team coach Vincenzo Montella," the ***** ociation wrote on X.
The 52-year-old former Italy striker took over Turkey in September 2023 and led them to Euro 2024 and the recent World Cup, where they went out in the group stage.
Montella's contract runs until after the European Championship in 2028.

#doctors

Premier League giants Chelsea are reportedly contemplating a summer swoop for Bologna forward Jonathan Rowe. According to Il Resto del Carlino via Calciomercato, the Italian club will listen to offers for the former Olympique Marseille star.
Bologna signed Rowe only last summer, parting with €17 million to capture his signature. After a relatively slow start to life in Serie A, the 23-year-old sparked to life in the second half of the season, establishing himself as one of the mainstays of Vincenzo Italiano's side.
Nevertheless, the numbers were far from impressive. Indeed, Rowe scored just three goals and added three ****** ists in 28 league appearances. His contribution, however, extended far beyond the raw numbers, with his pace, direct running and relentless work rate making him a constant nuisance for opposition defences.
After failing to secure European football, Bologna may have to reluctantly sell several first-team stars. And Rowe could be among the first to go.
Despite his rough season, Rowe remains one of the most valuable players at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. His current market value stands at €40 million, and there's little doubt that Bologna would demand every penny of that valuation before sanctioning his departure.

Darren 'Doogie' Wolfson: "Iif they head into the season with pretty much this roster, they can make a move in season. That Josh Green expiring contract can be valuable. Maybe they change their tune on the Donte DiVincenzo expiring contract. Now, I would tell you right now, there's interest in signing DiVincenzo to an extension having Dante here the next few years. But it's not like they're married to that idea."
YouTube
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: I would tell you right now, there's interest in …

A week of celebration and sadness as we remember Lazio-Campobasso of 1987 and the passing of Lazio legend Vincenzo D'Amico.
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2020Venue: Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, TurinFixture: Torino Lazio 1-2The Biancocelesti win a very difficult game coming from behind thanks to Immobile and Parolo
Date: Sunday, July 1, 1923Venue: Campo Rondinella, RomeFixture: Lazio Savoia 4-1, Southern Division Final, Second LegLazio thrash Savoia with a Bernardini hat-trick and reach the Scudetto final.
Date: Sunday, July 4, 1937Venue: Stadio PNFFixture: Lazio Grasshoppers 6-1, Central European Cup, Quarter FinalsLazio fall behind but then score six with a Piola hat-trick.
Date: Sunday, July 6, 1958Venue: Stadio del Vomero, NaplesFixture: Napoli Lazio 0-4, Coppa Italia, Group PhaseLazio beat Napoli thanks to three goals in the first half with a Burini brace and Pozzan while Bizzarri scores in the second.

As of July 1st, Lorenzo Pellegrini is a free agent.
The Roma captain concluded his official contract with the club and is now in talks to extend his deal.
However, at the same time, there is growing interest in the player from abroad.
As journalist Flavio Maria Tassotti reports, Besiktas, led by new coach Vincenzo Italiano, has its eye on the midfielder.
The player, however, wants to prioritize Roma and is waiting for the club to renew his contract.

Italy has missed out on the World Cup for the third consecutive time. However, 66 players from Italy’s top league will participate in this important football competition, demonstrating that Serie A still plays a significant role in European football.
A new Serie A campaign is just around the corner, and the latest Italian soccer betting odds are already gaining significant traction after the 2026-27 fixture list was drawn up last week.
As we know, Italy won’t be participating in the 2026 World Cup, missing out on the competition for the third time in a row.
However, Italy remain one of the most successful football countries and one of the eight nations to have ever won the World Cup.
Sixty-six players from Italy’s top flight will be participating in the World Cup, as well as three Italian coaches: Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil), Vincenzo Montella (Turkey) and Fabio Cannavaro (Uzbekistan).

Group D closes on Friday morning at Los Angeles Stadium with Türkiye already eliminated and the USA already through — but Mauricio Pochettino’s side target a third straight win regardless.
The USMNT topped Group D with maximum points, beating Paraguay 4–1 and Australia 2–0 to seal their place in the round of 32 with a game to spare. A third consecutive World Cup victory would be a first for the United States in the competition’s history, and Pochettino has made clear he is chasing it despite the luxury of rotation.
Türkiye head into their final fixture having scored zero goals from 62 shots across two defeats. The pressure is off, the tournament is over, and Vincenzo Montella’s side have one last chance to prove their talent was never the problem.
Date: Friday, 26 June 2026
Kick-off: 03:00 BST

Türkiye face the United States at Los Angeles Stadium in the early hours of Friday morning, eliminated from the 2026 World Cup and playing solely to salvage some pride from a deeply disappointing group stage.
Vincenzo Montella’s side have lost both their fixtures without scoring — 2–0 to Australia, 1–0 to Paraguay — conceding early in each game before dominating possession and shooting volume to little effect. With no tournament implications remaining, this fixture at least offers Türkiye’s considerable attacking talent the freedom to finally express itself.
Montella is expected to make few changes despite back-to-back defeats. The coaching staff believe in the quality of their players and will not abandon the system at the final hurdle. Kenan Yıldız, managing a calf issue, is likely to be available and is expected to keep his place in the attacking line.
Yunus Akgün is doubtful, with Barış Alper Yılmaz the likely replacement on the right flank. Arda Güler continues in the no. 10 position, operating as the creative hub between midfield and attack.
Captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu retains his role as the deeper of the two central midfielders, partnered again by İsmail Yüksek. Çalhanoğlu needs one more goal to surpass Tuncay Şanlı as the national team’s fourth-highest scorer of all time.

Turkey coach Vincenzo Montella has dismissed calls for him to step down after the team's early elimination from the World Cup.
"If the question is whether I want to resign then the answer is 'no'," Montella told a news conference ahead of their final group match against co-hosts United States later on Thursday.
"I still have energy and passion. If someone wants me to resign then they have to accept that I won't do it."
Italian national Montella has been in charge since 2023 and led Turkey to the World Cup for the first time since 2002. The team lost against Australia and Paraguay and can no longer qualify for the knock-out rounds.
Montella said that never before a Turkey coach had led the team to the Euros and the World Cup. Turkey played at Euro 2024, reaching the quarter-finals.

A fan gets Jaden McDaniels' instant reaction to the Julius Randle trade to Brooklyn originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The night before the 2026 NBA Draft was quite eventful because it finally saw the end of the year-long Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga. However, that was not the only trade that happened on Monday night because Julius Randle is now on the Brooklyn Nets.
The Minnesota Timberwolves sent Randle and the #28 overall pick to Brooklyn in a three-team trade that saw Nic Claxton go to the Chicago Bulls. It was a surprising trade for most people because many fans were waiting for the Giannis pin to drop.
Randle was the cornerstone piece of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the New York Knicks. Donte DiVincenzo also arrived from that deal, but Randle was often the most discussed player for the Timberwolves.
Now, they have essentially salary dumped him two years later. What makes it hurt even more is that Towns won the championship with the Knicks in 2026, which is what the Timberwolves tried to do with him for nearly a decade.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil secured a 3-0 win over Haiti in the second group stage game of the World Cup, but Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey lost 1-0 to Paraguay and faced elimination.
It’s been a night of mixed feelings for Italian coaches at the World Cup, with one, Montella, knocked out after just two rounds.
His Turkey side lost 1-0 to Paraguay despite playing the entire second half a man down. The South Americans took the lead in the second minute through Matias Galarza. Serie A stars Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz played the full 90 minutes but were unable to turn the game around.
Turkey already lost the opening round 2-0 to Australia, so their second consecutive loss means they are now eliminated.
“It’s truly incredible; we put down two high-level performances, making 65 shots towards the goal without being able to score. We didn’t concede much, but even that little was capitalised,” Montella said via Gazzetta.

62 shots. Over 100 touches in the opposition box. An Expected Goals total of almost 3.5. Those are the stats of Turkey’s attack in the matches against the two weaskest sides in Group D, Australia and Paraguay. And somehow, someway, Turkey scored zero goals, picked up zero points, and are eliminated from the World Cup before they even play the United States in the final group game.
A very talented generation that created tons of hope with a strong showing at EURO 2024 and a really good Qualifying campaign was unable to turn their statistical dominance into what actually matters in football: put the ball in the back of the net. Arda Güler’s passing and creativity were wasted, Kenan Yildiz played injured and still did more than enough to help his team, and captain Hakan Çalhanoglu saw one long-distance shot after another hit everything but the target.
Vincenzo Montella has never fully convinced the nation with his coaching, and his job will almost certainly be in major jeopardy after such a disappointing end to what was expected to be a dark horse type of World Cup campaign for a very talented generation. But his ultra-attacking style left his defense exposed time and time again throughout his tenure, and Turkey paid for it at the biggest stage.
As for the loss to Paraguay, it was absolutely wild. The game had everything: a great early goal, some incredible missed chances by the Turkish attack, and a refereeing performance by CONCACAF’s own Iván Barton that needs to be seen to be believed.
We also saw the first-ever red card for a player covering his mouth during a confrontation, and Paraguay’s Miguel Almirón has now been subjected to punishment from two new obscure rules in the same World Cup. It was a truly bonkers match, perfect for the neutrals, unforgettable for Paraguayans, and truly tragic for Turkey.

Vincenzo Montella’s Turkey are eliminated from the group stage at the World Cup after their defeat to Paraguay. Like Bayern-bound Ismael Saibari did earlier for Morocco, Matias Galarza scored the only goal of the game with a sublime finish inside the first couple of minutes.
In the hard-fought encounter, Iván Barton used a new rule to send off Miguel Almirón at the stroke of half-time. Galarza's teammate at Atlanta United became the first player to see a straight red card for covering his month while speaking towards an opponent.
However, Turkey failed to take the extra man advantage in the second-half. Eintracht Frankfurt's Can Uzun made his World Cup debut as he came close twice to score an equalizer. There was also a big moment late in injury-time when Merih Demiral's header narrowly missed the target.
The United States are confirmed to finish top of the group as they will play their Round of 32 game at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Turkey will finish at the bottom of the group whatever happens in their game against the co-hosts. Gustavo Alfaro's Paraguay and Australia will lock horns to finish in the automatic Round of 32 spot.

Turkey and Paraguay hope to recover from their disappointing start to the 2026 World Cup when they meet at Levi's Stadium. Vincenzo Montella's side were ineffective in their defeat to Australia, while Paraguay conceded four goals to co-hosts the United States.
Former FC Bayern youth player Kenan Yıldız only played the second-half against Australia, but the Turkish star will now feature from the start as he returns to full fitness. Yıldız is among the five players in Turkey's squad who were born in Germany, like his captain and former HSV and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
Meanwhile, Hoffenheim's center-back Ozan Kabak and Eintracht Frankfurt's sensation Can Uzun will hope for their first minutes of the tournament off the bench. Former Bundesliga players Çağlar Söyüncü, Kaan Ayhan, and Salih Özcan are also on the bench for Turkey, while ex-Hertha defender Omar Alderete starts for Paraguay.
Turkey: Çakır; Müldür, Demiral, Bardakcı, Kadıoğlu; Yüksek, Çalhanoğlu ©; Yıldız, Arda Güler, Akgün; Aktürkoğlu
Paraguay: Gill; Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez ©, Alderete, Alonso; Diego Gómez, Galarza; Cubas, Almirón; Pitta, Enciso

Turkiye and Paraguay meet at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara in the early hours of Saturday morning with their World Cup campaigns on the line.
Both sides suffered heavy opening defeats and arrive into this fixture knowing that another loss would effectively end their knockout ambitions. Vincenzo Montella’s Turkiye were shock victims of Australia’s counter-attacking masterclass on matchday one, despite dominating the contest.
Paraguay, meanwhile, were swept aside by the United States, conceding three times before half-time in Los Angeles. For both nations, this is as close to a must-win as the group stage gets.
Date: Saturday, 20 June 2026
Kick-off: 04:00 BST

It could be a Villanova reunion at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
The New York Knicks already have a trio of former Wildcat teammates on their roster in Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, and a fourth former Villanova star could also be in the building for Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was spotted outside of the Spurs' team hotel in New York, prompting speculation that he could be set to watch his former team and teammates as they look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
DiVincenzo was using crutches as he recovers from a torn Achilles, which ended his season in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs.
Brunson, Bridges and DiVincenzo won two national ****** les while at Villanova in 2016 and 2018. Hart was also a member of the 2016 ****** le-winning team.

Following the departure of Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna has decided to start over with Domenico Tedesco.
In the coming days, the Rossoblu will begin preparing the transfer market for their new coach, who will be making his debut in Italy.
Among the options being put to the former Fenerbahçe manager is Robinio Vaz.
The French striker, who arrived in Rome during the winter transfer window, delivered his most convincing performances for the Giallorossi in the two Europa League matches against Bologna. The 2007-born player earned a penalty and provided an ****** ist for Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Roma appears intent on letting Robinio Vaz leave to gain experience and earn the playing time he’s unlikely to earn with Malen.