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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has closed in on a move to Milan after comments about his difficult position at Barcelona. The Swedish striker declared he has problems with Barca coach Josep Guardiola. He also mentioned he would like to play with Ronaldinho at Milan.

The former Internazionale star, who arrived at the Camp Nou last summer, revealed he hasn’t heard from Guardiola for six months.

“Guardiola has not spoken to me for six months,” he told Sky Italia television.

“He only did so twice. I would like to understand why, but he won’t tell me. I need to be happy. I’m fine in Barcelona, but I have problems with the coach.

“The directors tell me they don’t want me to go, but at the same time how can I continue here when the manager doesn’t speak to me?

“Milan? I don’t know at what stage the negotiations are, but I would like to play with Ronaldinho.”

The 29-year-old played for Barca in a friendly against Milan in Spain on Wednesday night, after which he told reporters that he had no relationship with his club coach, although he claimed he knew nothing about Milan’s reported interest. (continue reading…)

Inter Milan have announced that former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has agreed to become the club’s new coach.

“We’ve got an agreement, we finalised the last details that in any case weren’t important,” Inter president Massimo Moratti told ANSA news agency.

Moratti said Inter would on Tuesday confirm details of Benitez’s unveiling as the club’s coach.

Benitez, 50, left Liverpool last week after six years at Anfield and will succeed Jose Mourinho at the San Siro.

Moratti revealed negotiations with Benitez had not taken place in person and said the Spaniard was due to arrive in Milan this week ahead of finalising his move to the European champions.

“All that is needed now is a counter-signature,” added the Inter president.

Benitez has a strong track record in European football, having won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005 and the Uefa Cup with Valencia in 2004.

But he would have big shoes to fill at Inter, with Mourinho winning the league in both seasons he was at the club, not to mention securing the Champions League and Italian Cup last season.
And before Mourinho’s spell at the club, Inter won three consecutive titles under Manchester City’s current manager Roberto Mancini. (continue reading…)

RAFA BENITEZ is expected to be announced as the new Inter Milan manager within 48 hours - as exclusively revealed by SunSport.

Inter president Massimo Moratti will fly to Sardinia today for a meeting with ex-Liverpool boss Benitez at his holiday hotel.

Moratti considers the Spaniard an ideal replacement for Jose Mourinho, who quit to take over at Real Madrid.

He said: “I can only say good things about him.

“Benitez will be the new Inter manager. Over the next few days it will be decided. Benitez has beaten Jose five times - a sign he is well prepared.

“He works hard and in the important matches he makes no mistakes. It’s important we continue to do well in Europe. Doing well in the Champions League brings us satisfaction.”

Benitez’s No 2 Mauricio Pellegrini is also expected to join Inter, while outgoing Italy boss Marcello Lippi has been linked with Liverpool.

Inter Milan are lining up a move for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres should Jose Mourinho lure Diego Milito or Samuel Eto’o to Real Madrid, according to reports in Italy.

The European champions lost boss Mourinho to the Bernabeu this week and are bracing themselves for bids for forwards Eto’o and Milito, who scored twice as Inter beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.

But the Italian giants are set to move for unsettled Spain hotshot Torres, whose future at Anfield is uncertain following the club’s disappointing season, which resulted in a failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition.

Chelsea are also lining up a £70million bid for Torres, who is also wanted by mega-bucks Manchester City. But the Eastlands club are now unlikely to move for the star as their failure also to reach the Champions League makes it unlikely the striker would consider a move to Manchester.

Torres fuelled speculation surrounding his future last week when he refused to commit to Liverpool, insisting that he was focusing on a summer with Spain before deciding on his future. He said: ‘The more important thing for me now is the World Cup. My future is the World Cup, We’ll see later.’

Inter look set to join the race for his signature, but would be unlikely to bid should they convince Milito or Eto’o to stay at the San Siro. Mourinho is said to be lining up a double-deal for both Milito and full-back Maicon, but could fall back on Eto’o if the Argentina forward is unavailable.

Jose Mourinho is set to coach Real Madrid  in a deal between European soccer powers, leaving Inter Milan  less than a week after guiding the Italian club to the Champions League title.

The agreement was announced after a meeting in Milan between Madrid president Florentino Perez and Inter counterpart Massimo Moratti. Madrid will pay $19 million in two installments, the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport said.

Real Madrid said Mourinho will be introduced Monday at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. He replaces Manuel Pelligrini, who was fired Wednesday.

Mourinho confirmed he wanted to join Madrid after Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Spanish capital last Saturday to win the Champions League.

In two years with Inter, Mourinho led the club to two league titles, one Italian cup and its first European Cup since 1965. Before that, he led Chelsea to two Premier League titles. He also won the Champions League with FC Porto of Portugal in 2004.

Mourinho is a defensive-minded coach and questions have been raised over how he will blend the attacking talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.

”We have to know what we have and apply it in the best possible way to create damage,” Mourinho told the Spanish daily AS. ”Madrid has Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka who are very good on one-on-ones. We have to find a style of play that allows them to do that. The principles of play depend on the players you have.”

Madrid has won nine European Cups but its last Champions League triumph came in 2002. Last summer, Madrid spent large sums on Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema but failed to progress past the first knockout round of the Champions League.

”I think Madrid have signed me because they know that they can demand aims in the short term, but that I am also capable of leaving a base for the future,” Mourinho said. (continue reading…)

Inter Milan  beat Siena 1-0 Sunday to seal its fifth consecutive Serie A title and earn a shot at becoming the first Italian club to achieve a title trifecta.

Diego Milito took a pass from Inter captain Javier Zanetti and scored his 22nd goal of the season to break the deadlock in the 57th minute at Siena’s Artemio Franchi stadium.

Inter finished with 82 points, two more than AS Roma, which won 2-0 at Chievo Verona.

Roma scored both of its goals in the first half and had its hands on the title before Milito saved Inter.

Inter beat Roma in the Italian Cup final, and Jose Mourinho’s side will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League final Saturday in an attempt to become the first Italian club to win the three titles.
On his 65th birthday, Massimo Moratti watched from the stands in Siena as his team wrapped up the club’s 18th Scudetto. (continue reading…)

José Mourinho has named a squad of 24 players (3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders and 5 strikers) for Sunday afternoon’s Serie A Week 38 match away to Siena (Stadio Artemio Franchi - Montepaschi Arena, kick-off 15:00).

Goalkeepers: 1 Francesco Toldo, 12 Julio Cesar, 21 Paolo Orlandoni.

Defenders: 2 Ivan Cordoba, 4 Javier Zanetti, 6 Lucio, 13 Maicon, 23 Marco Materazzi, 25 Walter Samuel, 26 Cristian Chivu, 39 Davide Santon.

Midfielders: 5 Dejan Stankovic, 7 Ricardo Quaresma, 8 Thiago Motta, 10 Wesley Sneijder, 11 Sulley Muntari, 15 Rene Krhin, 17 Mariga, 19 Esteban Cambiasso.

Strikers: 9 Samuel Eto’o, 22 Diego Milito, 27 Goran Pandev, 45 Mario Balotelli, 89 Marko Arnautovic.

Jose Mourinho has fuelled speculation he will move to Real Madrid this summer
by admitting he will coach the Spanish giants ’sooner or later’.

Former Chelsea boss Mourinho is currently preparing his Inter Milan side for this weekend’s Serie A climax where they go into the final round of fixtures two points clear of Roma.

Then comes the Champions League final, in Madrid, against Bayern Munich on May 22.

Recent reports have suggested the Bayern clash will be Mourinho’s last on the Inter bench before he switches to Madrid and he was doing little to quell the rumours in an interview with Panorama magazine published on Friday.

He said: ‘What they write about me having one foot in Madrid and one in Milan is false.

‘(But) Sooner or later I will coach Real Madrid. I coached a big team in England, I am coaching a big team in Italy, and then I will coach a big team in Spain.’

Mourinho has already led Inter to the Coppa Italia this season and is closing in on a treble. (continue reading…)

José Mourinho spoke on Rai Sport before lifting the Tim Cup with his Inter players.

“It was a very hard game from the first minute because losing a player like Sneijder in this way at the start is obviously very hard,” said the Portuguese coach.

“For ninety minutes it was a very aggressive, intense and ugly match. We scored a goal and then we controlled the game, and Julio Cesar did very well in the moment of danger.

“Roma then lost their heads a bit but my boys did very well and I tell the fans not to come to Malpensa this time because the team really needs to rest.

“The first dream has become reality. Inter are the team of the moment. We are doing very well. Now we have to fight until the end and win two more titles, and we will fight for these two dreams.

“Now I can say that I have won all the national competitions in every country that I have coached in. The Champions League? It’s a beautiful dream.

“Inter have changed. They have made an enormous leap. Now they can change coach and players, but they have changed. Is there a chance of me staying. Obviously yes.”