Rudy's Rumour Mill: Mourinho and Dybala to reunite? Casemiro linked with Saudi switch
Mourinho and Dybala - reunion on the cards?
We talked about Jose Mourinho's future a few weeks ago, confirming that the 2023/24 season was the Portuguese coach's last on the AS Roma bench. His farewell in January only jumped the gun of a separation that would certainly arrive in June and accelerated a possible landing of the 'Special One' in Saudi Arabia.
Last summer, Mourinho refused a huge offer from there, but now Al Shabab are trying to take the opportunity to immediately convince him to face a new challenge.
The Portuguese manager is open to evaluating the idea of coaching in the Saudi Pro League, however, talks are on hold and will continue only when the Saudi negotiator will have confirmation of the budget available for Jose.
Whatever his choice, Jose could also bring with him a first reinforcement: Paulo Dybala. The Argentine player has no plans to leave Roma in this transfer window, but is open to evaluate proposals for the next season - also from Saudi Arabia - especially if the club is coached by Mourinho.
At the same time, the Giallorossi are working to extend the contract of Paulo, expiring in 2025, but - to date - he's more inclined to start a new experience elsewhere.
Casemiro and Al Nassr - more than a suggestion
Casemiro is not fully involved in Manchester United's project, he has one of the highest salaries in the entire Premier League and this season the level of his performance is not up to expectations, with only eight games and 649 minutes played.
For these reasons, United would like to let him go as soon as possible and to monetise his sale. Not only that, the Brazilian midfielder would also like to leave the English club soon, that's why the player's agent is working to find a new destination elsewhere. Among others, in recent weeks, Casemiro has been proposed to Al Nassr.
The Saudi club has shown interest in him and the suggestion of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo again, therefore, can become real. To date, there have been no other concrete contacts, but Al Nassr are planning to organise a new round of negotiations to better understand the conditions of his transfer.
The Saudi club's goal would have been to speed things up to strengthen the midfield as early as January, but at the moment the most likely option seems to be a move in the summer.
Not to be forgotten that also Al Ahli are on his tracks. They are still looking for a new midfielder and Casemiro is among the main profiles – together with Luka Modric - to strengthen the squad in this role.
Koopmeiners - wanted by Serie A elite
Teun Koopmeiners is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in Serie A. With five goals scored and three assists provided so far, the Dutch player has been one of the absolute protagonists of Atalanta in this first part of the season.
This is why some top Italian clubs are monitoring him and consider Teun a concrete target in June. Among these, there are both Juventus - which aim to strengthen the midfield in the summer to "replace" the suspended Paul Pogba - and Napoli.
The Italian champions will almost certainly lose Piotr Zielinski at the end of the season, as his contract expires and he has no intention of renewing it at the proposed salary.
For this reason, the Polish player already reached an agreement in principle with Inter Milan for a transfer as a free agent. With Zielinski's farewell, Napoli have identified Koopmeiners - whose contract with Atalanta expires in 2027 - as the ideal profile to replace Zielinski.
It won't be easy, however, to convince his current club. Atalanta are asking for at least 45-50 million euros to evaluate an offer for the Dutch midfielder, considered a key player by Giampiero Gasperini.
AC Milan - Buongiorno a summer gift?
AC Milan have had Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno in their sights for some time. The Rossoneri, as is well known, are facing a series of injuries that have decimated the defence with Stefano Pioli forced, in recent weeks, to use Theo Hernandez as a centre-back.
However, Torino's position has always been clear regarding a possible farewell of their jewel in this winter transfer window: Buongiorno is not for sale, at least until the summer.
Despite numerous rumours in recent weeks, there has never been a change to Torino president Urbano Cairo's mind about a possible move in January.
Things could be different in June when the Italian defender could leave his current club, but only for a significant offer: a deal of around 40 million euros for a player who has already made 17 appearances in this Serie A, scoring three goals.
An amount that, to date, AC Milan have no intention of paying, at least with this ownership, which could change by the summer. In that case, the Rossoneri could have new financial backing from Arabia. Who knows if Alessandro Buongiorno could become the first "gift" from the new ownership. We'll just have to wait and see.
