News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United and Chile forward Alexis Sanchez arrived in Italy on Wednesday ahead of an expected loan move to Inter Milan.
Italian media published photos and videos of Sanchez from a car park at Malpensa airport and said he would undergo a medical.
Sanchez, Chile’s all-time leading scorer with 43 goals, joined Manchester United in January last year and scored only five goals in 45 games, well short of the heights he reached at Arsenal where he netted 80 goals in 166 matches.
The 30-year-old led Chile to their first major titles, the Copa America in 2015 and the Copa Centenario the following year, but suffered a major disappointment when they missed out on last year’s World Cup in Russia.
He previously spent three seasons in Serie A with Udinese before moving to Barcelona.
Sanchez will be reunited with his Manchester United team mate Romelu Lukaku who joined Inter this month.
Inter appointed former Italy, Chelsea and Juventus coach Antonio Conte during the close season in a bid to end an eight-year trophy drought.
Lewandowski goals a precious commodity for Bayern
A new contract is looming for Poland forward Robert Lewandowski, who will be carrying the hopes of a second straight league win for Bayern Munich when the champions host Mainz 05 on Saturday.
The Bavarians have sprung to action in recent weeks on the transfer market, signing Croatian World Cup finalist Ivan Perisic, Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho and France youth international Mickael Cuisance.
But it has been 31-year-sold Lewandowski - at Bayern since 2014 - who has scored all five of their league goals, a brace in their 2-2 season opener against Hertha Berlin and a hat-trick to beat Schalke 04 last week.
With his contract running out in 2021, the striker hinted a new deal was close to being finalised.
“There is a lot in favour of an extension,” he told Sport Bild magazine this week.
“From my side it is only about finalising some details. I feel good in Munich, the club has the same goals as me. To win titles, including the Champions League.”
Lewandowski has already become the most prolific foreign scorer in the history of the league with 207 Bundesliga goals in 292 matches for both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern.
But he shows no sign of slowing down, also winning last year’s top Bundesliga scorer award for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
“He is sensationally good. He has been doing that in the last five, six, seven years in the Bundesliga,” Bayern coach Niko Kovac told reporters.
“He is the best striker with his efficiency and coolness. I hope he continues like that for the coming months.”
Bayern will need his goals more than in past seasons, with Dortmund, who are top of the standings on six points, set to present the biggest obstacle en route to a record-extending eighth successive league title for the reigning champions.
Lewandowski is rarely out of form and it is even rarer for him to miss a game through injury, prompting former Germany and Bayern captain Lothar Matthaeus to demand a salary hike for him.
“The amazing thing is that he has played 96% of all competitive matches for Bayern since arriving,” Matthaeus told Sky.
“That leads me to the conclusion that he earns too little for such an unbelievable statistic. A player with such appearance quota, apart from his goals, should be earning more than someone who only plays 50-60 per cent of possible games.”
Sarri hoping to make Juventus debut after pneumonia
Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri, still recovering from a bout of pneumonia, could yet be passed fit to make his debut for the Turin side when they face his former club Napoli in Serie A on Saturday.
According to photographs published by Italian media on Wednesday, the 60-year-old is both back on the training ground and, possibly, smoking cigarettes again as he recovers from the illness which sidelined him earlier this month.
Sarri, who missed last week's opening match at Parma but has been in constant touch with his players throughout, was widely reported to have watched a practice on the touchline on Wednesday.
The Corriere della Sera also published a selfie taken by a young fan standing next to Sarri who was holding a packet of cigarettes in his hand. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, this left the club's leadership "disappointed".
Juventus announced on Aug. 21 that Sarri was suffering from a bout of pneumonia and would miss the first two games of the season including the Napoli match.
However, Italy's main sports dailies have all reported that the chain-smoking coach will be examined by doctors on Friday and could be passed fit to take charge for the game.
It would an emotional start for Sarri who, during three seasons at Napoli, turned them into Italy's most eye-catching side and the one most likely to end Juve's dominance of Serie A which now stretches to eight successive titles.
Napoli have finished as runners-up to Juventus in three of the last four seasons and the fixture has become a top-of-the-table clash, adding to the north-south rivalry which has always surrounded it.
On Sarri's last visit to Juventus in April last year, Napoli pulled off a surprise 1-0 win which re-opened the title race although Juventus still went on to win.
His appointment in June, after one year at Chelsea, was something of a surprise as he does not fit the usual profile of a Juventus coach, the club usually preferring someone with a more conservative tactical approach.
Both teams won their opening matches of the season last week with Juventus beating Parma 1-0 away and Napoli, now in their second season under Carlo Ancelotti, coming from behind to down Fiorentina 4-3.
Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny said the players were already noticing the difference.
"Sarri's Napoli was very strong and now that he is here with us, I see how intensely he works with his teams," said the Pole.
"I've been amazed by the impact he has had on the team. We are working hard, we are working well, obviously changing greatly our style of play.
"I see a great future for Sarri's Juventus," he added.
"He works more with the ball and the way of defending is also different, since we do it with a much higher defensive line to go and press the opponents."
