Inter

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Location: Milan
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Ground: San Siro (Capacity: 82,955)

Pre-Season Training Began July 16th in Pegli
Friendlies Played: Inter 1-0 Al Hilal (July 24); Inter 2-0 Bari (August 27)
Friendlies Scheduled: Trofeo TIM ( July 29); Bayern Munich (August 5); Amsterdam Tournament w/ Sevilla and Ajax (August 8-9); August 15 (Benfica)

Transfer Rating: 7.5

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Jose Mourinho makes his Serie A debut with an Inter team who is fresh off of winning the Scudetto title.  Serie A Championship aside, fans hope that Mourinho will have more success in European competition than his predecessor, Roberto Mancini, who announced he would step down after a 3-0 aggregate defeat to Liverpool in the Champions league before rescinding his decision and finishing the season.

Mourinho has made few changes to the Inter side we saw last year.  One important difference is up front with the return of Adriano, the polarizing striker who spent an extended stay away from the San Siro in order to regain his once great form.

Mourinho also has expressed his desire to bring in Chelsea ace Frank Lampard, but the move has been nothing but hype and drama due to Chelsea’s unwillingness to let their star go.  Instead, it seems as if the Nerazzurri have settled on a replacement for Lampard, a player who they see as the best possible alternative.  This is Ghanaian midfielder Sully Muntari, who has impressed this past season at Portsmouth after making the move to England from Udinese.  Muntari’s past experience in Serie A is a definite plus, as he is well familiar with the Italian style of play.  Muntari’s arrival will most likely end any interest that Inter might still have in Lampard.

Although the signings have been few, they have certainly been high impact.  Roma playmaker Amantino Mancini also arrived at Milan this summer as part of Mourinho’s new-look squad.  And if the arrival of Mancini and Muntari wasn’t enough, rumors are that Porto midfielder Ricardo Quaresma is extremely close to an Inter move, possibly within the next 48 hours.

There is no doubt that Inter will be the favorite of many to repeat their Scudetto victory this season.  Mourinho is also confident of his lads chances in the coming months.

“Juve should be scared of Inter,” Mourinho said. “If we beat them then it will be a novelty as they have been working hard well before we started pre-season preparations.”

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Prediction: Champions League (2nd place).  They could easily finish first, but just for kicks we will say that Roma gets their revenge and edges Inter for the title.

Probable Formation (pending the arrival of Muntari): 4-2-3-1
Julio Cesar; Maxwell, Chivu, Samuel, Maicon; Cambiasso, Zanetti; Mancini, Ibrahimovic, Figo; Adriano

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New Kit For 2008-09:

Amantino Mancini has officially joined Inter this afternoon after the Nerazzurri agreed to a deal with Roma.  The 28-year-old Brazilian has spent five successful years with the Giallorossi, and has been one of Jose Mourinho’s main summer targets as he looks to build his Inter side.

Terms of the deal are not yet officially known, but early indications say that the Inter will pay around €13-€15 million euros for the player.  Mancini will sign a four year deal worth €3.5 million per season.

“Both parties are satisfied,” Inter director Gabriele Oriali said. “It wasn’t easy but in the end we reached an agreement, therefore we’re all happy.”

Meanwhile, Inter remain keen on also bringing Cheslea midfielder Frank Lampard to San Siro, but the situation at his current club remains unresolved.

A weekly recap of all the latest happenings in Italy, including transfer news and rumors.

Florence

We begin our trip with a Fiorentina side that has been rather busy in the last few days. The Viola have recently confirmed three important signings. First, the signing of Peruvian national Juan Manuel Vargas has finally been made official. Vargas caught the eye of many clubs around Europe with his dazzling play for Serie A minnows Catania. A move to a bigger club was inevitable, with Fiorentina eventually beating out Real Madrid for the services of the left back. Fiorentina have also strengthed their back line with another important signing, Gianluca Comotto from Torino. Comotto was captain of Toro during this past season, but injury troubles kept him out for most of the second half. And to top it off, Brazilian wiz-kid Jefferson has signed a five-year contract with the Viola, but he will likely be loaned out to a Serie B team to gain some Italian footballing experience.

Rome

After Nicola Amoruso’s move to the eternal city fell through, Lazio have picked up U-21 Argentine starlet Mauro Zarate. Zarate, who spent last season on loan at Birmingham City, is said to be playing a key role in the upcoming season for the Bioncolesti. Lazio president Claudio Lotito coined the young striker as the most important signing of the season. In addition, Lazio have picked up another young forward in 19-year-old Czech talent Libor Kozak. Meanwhile, Swiss winger Valon Behrami has reiterated his intent to leave, but has shrugged off rumors linking him to West Ham. Behrami hopes for a move to the Bundesliga.

Milan

Drama continues over Frank Lampard’s possible move to Inter. The Italian champions are hoping to make three big signings to reinforce their club and defend their title. They have apparently sent their final offer for Lampard, who is described by a source as being 60/40 in favor of a move to San Siro. Inter are also turning their attention to Roma’s Brazilian ace Mancini. Roma have lowered their initial demands from 15 million euros to 13 million. Inter initially offered 10, but are hoping that a 12 million dollar bid might satisfy the high demands of their rival club. To round up their high profile signings, Jose Mourinho is hoping to bring in Porto midfielder Ricardo Quaresma. While sources say Quaresma’s move to Inter is imminent, Porto prsesident Pinto da Costa has denied receiving any offers for the Portuguese national.

AC Milan are also still hoping to land a big summer signing, but have made a stance that they will not overpay. The Rossoneri have been chasing Premiership stars Emmanuel Adebayor and Didier Drogba. Sources say they are not out of the running just yet for either of the two. As Milan continue their search for one of Europe’s top marksmen, they deny that their star Brazilian Kaka is going anywhere, after reports surfaced that Chelsea prepared a giant 94 million euro bid for Kaka’s services.

Lecce

We end our trip down south with Lecce, who are back in Seire A after a short absence and have no intention of leaving any time soon. The southern minnows are hoping to land a prolific forward, and they have set their sights on several targets including Emiliano Bonazzoli and unsettled Fiorentina striker Daniele Cacia. Lecce will have competition for both players, with Bonazzoli being linked with a move back to Reggina, as well as Cacia being pursued by Catania. Lecce will have a tough road ahead of them after they decided to part ways with manager Giuseppe Papadopulo, who lead them to their recent promotion. They have decided to hire former Siena boss Mario Beretta.

Azzurri Under-21 striker Robert Acquafresca will officially remain at Cagliari for at least one more season. An ownership deal between the Sardinian outfit and Inter was settled on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old came to Cagliari last season with high expectations, being part of a move that brought David Suazo to Inter. He did nothing less than live up to those expectations, scoring 10 goals for the Rossoblu and playing a key role in their Serie A survival.

Acquafresca’s future was up in the air until today, with Atalanta, Torino, Lazio, Siena, and Genoa all acquiring about the the talented youngster. However, fans of the Isolani can breathe easy as they have secured a crucial piece of their 2008-09 Serie A campaign.

It’s time for the Wednesday staple that recaps the latest happenings in Italy, from top to toe.

Transfers

Napoli have scored right-winger Christian Maggio from Sampdoria. Maggio’s future had been uncertain in recent weeks, even with a move to Aston Villa being mentioned as a possibility. All rumors can now be put to rest as the 26-year-old pens a five year deal with the Azzurri.

“I’m happy to be able to play for a club as ambitious and prestigious as Napoli,” said Maggio. “I’m looking forward to start the season.”

The actual amount of the transfer fee is said to be in the €10-11 million area. In other transfer news, Udinese have snapped up talented young midfielder Nicolas Corvetto. The Chilean starlet was recently part of the national squad that finished runner-up to Italy in the recent Toulon youth tournament. Corvetto joins an Udine side that already have two other Chileans on their roster.

Rumors

Contrary to prior belief, the agent of David Suazo has ruled out a move away from Inter. A move seemed almost certain for the out of favor striker, who still managed to net 8 goals in only 9 starting appearances this season. The arrival of Jose Mourinho also added fuel to rumors that Suazo could be headed elsewhere, as the tactician is aiming to bring in new talent to the roster of the recent Serie A champions.

Croatian hitman Igor Budan will likely leave recently relegated Parma and return to Serie A. Palermo, Budan’s former club, are searching for a replacement for Amauri and seem to be leading the race for his services. Budan netted 20 goals in 50 appearences for I Crociati since he joined them in 2006. Parma are demanding €5 million for Budan, plus the remaining half of midfielder Davide Matteini’s contract. However, Palermo are only willing to shell out €4.5, plus Matteini.

Serie A Promotion

Lecce have defeated Albinoleffe 1-0 in the first leg of the promotion playoff final. It was an important victory for the southern minnows, who will now get to play the return leg at home with a one goal advantage. Albinoleffe controlled tempo in the first half, but it was Elvis Abruscatto’s goal for Lecce in the 31st minute of the second half that gave the Giallorossi the lead. That one goal proved to be enough and Albinoleffe will have an uphill battle facing them when the return leg is played this Sunday. The winner of this final will join Chievo and Bologna in promotion to Italy’s top flight.

Other News

Milan ace Ricky Kaka is a proud father after his wife gave birth to a baby boy. Kaka was recently unhappy with his club because of their decision to go ahead with knee surgery ahead of the Brazil’s World Cup qualifying matches. Because of his recovery time, he has been omitted from the Brazilian squad for these matches against Paraguay and Argentina. He should, however, return to regular training by the end of the month.

We begin our trip around the boot with transfer news out of Palermo. Former Fiorentina midfielder Fabio Liverani has officially completed his transfer to the Sicilian club. The 32-year-old has made the move on a free transfer, after he was struggling to find regular playing time with the Viola.

Meanwhile, the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Inter has fueled speculation on who’s coming and going. The tactician is ready to make his mark on Italy by bringing in some big name talent, while doing a bit of house cleaning. The foursome of Hernan Crespo, David Suazo, Dejan Stankovic, and Nicolas Burdisso are rumored to be the first names that will be put on the market. Crespo, of course, played under “The Special One” while the two were at Chelsea a few seasons ago. The Argentine has recently praised the arrival of Mourinho, hoping to be part of his plans. Inter are also apparently looking to move Adriano when he returns from his loan spell at Sao Paulo.

Juventus star forward David Trezeguet might also be on the move. There are conflicting reports on whether or not The Old Lady would allow the French national to leave Turin. Barcelona, who look to be parting ways with head-butting striker Samuel Eto’o, are one of the main suitors of Trezeguet’s services. The 31-year-old Trezeguet is getting older and Juve may be keen on cashing in on his recent run of form. He netted 20 goals this past season in Serie A, good for 2nd best behind teammate Alessandro Del Piero.

Elsewhere in Italy, Chievo forward Victor Obinna could be looking for greener pastures after leading the Flying Donkeys to a Serie A promotion this season. The Nigerian hitman is attracting interest from several of Italy’s top clubs, including Roma, Fiorentina, and Palermo.

Serie B Playoff

The first leg of Serie B’s promotion playoff was played today. Southern minnows Lecce earned a crucial away victory over Pisa by a score of 1-0. Brescia took care of Albinoleffe at home by the same scoreline. The return leg will be played on Sunday, with Lecce looking like the likely favorite to move on to the final.

Super Cup Comes to USA!

It has been confirmed that Supercoppa Italiana will in fact be played on American soil. While New York was said to be the original host of the event, it is likely it will be played in Philadelphia, who have also submitted a bid. The match will give American fans the opportunity to see Scudetto winners Inter take on Roma. It will be the first time an Italian match has been played in the United States since the 2003 Super Cup.