Niclas Fullkrug's nightmare start to life in Italy continued last week after the striker had €500k worth of valuables stolen from his hotel room. The German moved to the Rossoneri on loan for the rest of the season at the start of January, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Premier League side West Ham.
Manchester United's interim head coach Michael Carrick has slammed the door on a January exit for Harry Maguire, with reports stating that the Red Devils have rejected 'several approaches' for the England defender this month. AC Milan and multiple Premier League clubs are said to have shown an interest but United will reject all approaches for the 32-year-old this month, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season.
USMNT star Christian Pulisic has formed part of a Ronaldo comparison on the back of the chances that he squandered in AC Milan’s frustrating 1-1 draw with Fiorentina. The Rossoneri snatched a point late on in that Serie A contest, but could have been out of sight. No finger of blame is being pointed in the direction of their 10-goal American forward.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has revealed that he once “literally sh*t” himself while working through an injury rehabilitation programme, with the legendary Swedish striker enduring an unfortunate toilet mishap while running on a treadmill. The former Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and AC Milan forward considers that story to be another example of how he would never “cheat” when it came to giving his all.
Maximilian Ibrahimovic has officially joined Ajax on loan from AC Milan, following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Zlatan. However, the 19-year-old forward is determined to carve out his own legacy in Amsterdam, declaring that "Ibrahimovic is just a name" as he looks to impress during his initial six-month spell at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
On the weekend that the Bundesliga returned after its winter hiatus and two of Serie A's top three met in a crucial clash in the fight for the Scudetto, much of Europe was focused on cup competitions of varying degrees of importance. England and France played host to the latest rounds of their domestic tournaments while Spain and Turkey followed France's lead from earlier in the week in crowning their Super Cup champions.
GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including concern over Pepi after an injury and Folarin Balogun getting on the scoresheet.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s son Maximilian is reportedly in talks to leave AC Milan and join another one of his father’s former clubs. Ibrahimovic Snr was widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, representing a host of Europe’s biggest clubs including Milan, Inter and Juventus in Serie A, as well as Premier League heavyweights Manchester United and La Liga champions Barcelona.
Chelsea are set to be disappointed in their pursuit of AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, as the Italian giants edge closer to tying their captain down to a new contract. Maignan was a transfer target for the Blues last summer and they were expected to renew their interest this year given the Frenchman would be available on a free transfer. However, Milan are now in advanced talks to keep the highly-rated stopper at San Siro.
GOAL begins its Meet the USMNT series by examining the rise, pressure, and expectations surrounding Christian Pulisic as the U.S. prepare for a home World Cup.
AC Milan have been warned that ‘Captain America’ Christian Pulisic “can’t always save” them, with the Rossoneri becoming “too dependent” on their USMNT star. That is the opinion of legendary coach Fabio Capello, who continues to keep an eye across events at San Siro. He is not convinced that Pulisic can deliver Serie A title glory with Golden Boot-winning exploits.
Luka Modric has named Jose Mourinho as the toughest manager of his illustrious career, claiming the legendary boss is so intense that he once made Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the Real Madrid dressing room. The Croatia and AC Milan midfielder has worked under several world-class coaches during his sparkling spell in football, but he has labelled the Portuguese as the strictest of them all.
According to Antonio Cassano, Thiago Silva’s proposed return to AC Milan was blocked, despite the full backing of club adviser Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with head coach Massimiliano Allegri reportedly stepping in to veto the move. The revelation sheds new light on a transfer that almost reunited one of Milan’s most decorated modern defenders with the San Siro faithful.
A lot of leagues and competitions take the festive period off but there was no break for players in England, Italy and Portugal over the weekend, while the action at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco resumed on December 26. The Premier League's top two, Arsenal and Manchester City, both picked up hard-fought wins on Saturday but Aston Villa remain very much in the title race after a massive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Christian Pulisic has broken his silence on if there is any truth behind dating rumours linking the AC Milan and USMNT star with American actress Sydney Sweeney. News broke earlier this week that the former Chelsea winger and Sweeney had struck up a romantic relationship and had been dating for some time, with 27-year-old Pulisic coming forward to give his take on the rumours after helping fire Milan to the top of Serie A on Sunday.
Christopher Nkunku pulled off his trademark celebration after finally scoring his first goal in Serie A. The France international left Chelsea for AC Milan over the summer, penning a five-year contract in a deal worth £36m having failed to make an impact in west London. And while Nkunku has taken time to find his groove in Italy, celebrated his first league goal in style on Sunday.