Report – Bologna Evaluate Swap Deal With Fiorentina Involving Italy Midfielder Despite Inter Milan Buyback Clause
Bologna could offer Giovanni Fabbian to Fiorentina as part of a swap deal to take Riccardo Sottil to Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
Per Corriere dello Sport via FCInterNews, Vincenzo Italiano's men are plotting a complicated exchange to sign the Italian winger.
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Giovanni Fabbian has been in and out of Italiano's starting line-up.
Furthermore, Inter can still activate a €12 million buyback clause to bring the 22-year-old back to the San Siro.
However, Inter's indecisiveness may return to haunt them, with Bologna drawing plans of their own.
Bologna & Fiorentina Contemplate Swap Deal for Giovanni Fabbian & Riccardo Sottil
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 23: Giovanni Fabbian of Bologna FC celebrates during the Serie A TIM match between Bologna FC and Hellas Verona FC – Serie A TIM at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara on February 23, 2024 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by)
Italiano appreciates Sottil, who had a rough six-month loan at AC Milan in the second half of last season.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina are open to letting their winger go this summer.
Yet, Sottil won't go cheap, hence Bologna's plan to include Fabbian as a counterpart to avoid splashing the cash.
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Bologna's interest in the Italian forward probably stems from the uncertainty surrounding the future of Riccardo Orsolini.
Formerly linked with Inter, Orsolini could depart Emilia-Romagna in the coming months, with Milan keen to acquire his services.
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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why USA Hockey didn't name an Olympic goalie, and why the competition could be fierce
USA Hockey on Monday unveiled the first six players on the roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Notably missing from the initial announcement was a goaltender to accompany brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, star forwards Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel, and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy. Advertisement The United States' pool of goalies is so strong that it didn't make sense to name just one to the roster this soon. Considering the pre-determined, arbitrary number of six players that each country was asked to announce, it might have made sense to name a full starting lineup of three forwards, two defensemen and a netminder. But only six of the 12 countries selected a goalie among their first six players. For USA Hockey in particular, there's a lot of evaluating to do in the crease between now and the Dec. 31 deadline to submit the official Olympic roster. Naming one goalie to the roster would've signaled a preferred starter, and that just feels like an unnecessary flag to plant at this time. There's a chance the United States will bring back the same three goalies it took to the 4 Nations Face-Off in February: Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman. Even so, the pecking order between the three isn't established. There's also a chance one of the many talented goalies nipping at their heels could break into the lineup. The country is overflowing with talent in net, from Calgary's rookie sensation Dustin Wolf to Anthony Stolarz and Joey Daccord — and don't forget about Thatcher Demko if he's healthy. Hellebuyck was the clear No. 1 at 4 Nations, and was excellent in the tournament. Since then, he's added a third Vezina Trophy to his mantle and become just the eighth goalie in history to win the Hart Trophy. He's on pace to shatter every record set by American-born goalies, and one would think all of that will be enough to make him the clear-cut starter. Is it, though? While Hellebuyck has added several awards to his resume since 4 Nations, he also added yet another disappointing playoff run. It was the third consecutive year that he posted a save percentage below .900 in the playoffs. Despite playing better in the second round, he ranked last out of 21 goalies this postseason with minus-5.01 goals saved above expected. Advertisement On its own, his poor showing against St. Louis in the first round wouldn't be overly alarming, but at this point, it's a trend that's hard to ignore. Hellebuyck's biggest competition for the starter's spot, Oettinger, also ended his postseason poorly, after being pulled from Game 5 of the Western Conference final, but his overall performance in the playoffs was strong. The Lakeville, Minn., native was an anchor for the Dallas Stars. Over the last three years, only Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky has more playoff wins than Oettinger. His stellar level of play on the NHL's biggest stage has been enough for some to annoint him the new starter for Team USA, but that's far from decided at this point. At the very least, it has opened the door for Oettinger to stake his claim early next season. Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has that role for the USA Hockey once again. Now-Rangers coach Mike Sullivan will also return as head coach, and while the full coaching staff is still undecided, there's a good chance Los Angeles Kings goalie coach Mike Buckley will be back to work with the goalies. Buckley coached at 4 Nations, and has done some brilliant work alongside Bill Ranford over the last two seasons in Los Angeles. He helped Darcy Kuemper to his first Vezina Trophy nomination at age 35, and coached Cam Talbot to a great season at 36 the year before. That staff will be watching all of the American goalies closely over the first three months of the 2025-26 season to determine which three they'll bring to Italy, and where they'll stand on the depth chart when they arrive. The team expects to hold an Olympic orientation camp in late August, near the end of the NHL offseason, in Plymouth, Mich. According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, Guerin and his staff plan to invite up to 45 Olympic hopefuls. Advertisement That camp certainly will help in their evaluations, but the majority of that work will be done over the first 30 or so games of the regular season, leading up to the Dec. 31 Olympic roster deadline. More so than any other position, the margins in goaltending are slim. This season, Hellebuyck won the Hart Trophy with a .925 save percentage. The league average was .900, which means the difference between average and an all-time season is only 2.5 extra saves for every 100 shots faced. That dynamic places an added emphasis on current form when it comes to evaluating goalies, so a hot November and December could be crucial for whoever claims the roster spots. Looking at each netminder's career splits for those months, Hellebuyck has been a faster starter (albeit in a much larger sample). The Olympic format also affords the team more opportunity to start multiple goalies and continue its evaluation into the tournament itself. Unlike 4 Nations, which had only three games to determine a final matchup and in which even a single loss could potentially eliminate a side, the Olympics will have three games to determine seeding, followed by four rounds of elimination games. That means we will almost certainly see at least two goalies take the crease at some point, if not all three. Who will the three be for the United States? Let's examine where each contender stands, and their opportunity to impress moving forward. As mentioned above, Hellebuyck is already one of the most decorated goaltenders of this generation. When it comes to individual awards, he is in rarified air, but the lack of playoff success is a dark cloud hanging over his resume and that won't change before the Olympics. Hellebuyck performed well wearing the red, white and blue at 4 Nations, with a .932 save percentage in three starts, but the crescendo of the tournament featured Canadian goalie Jordan Binnington making several spectacular saves in overtime while Hellebuyck allowed the game-winner shortly after. Advertisement It's highly likely Hellebuyck will be one of the top two goalies, which means he will get starts in the qualifying round at the Olympics. If he plays well in those, he's still the favorite to backstop the United States in the elimination rounds. If anyone can challenge Hellebuyck for the No. 1 spot, it's Oettinger. He has established himself as one of the most reliable workhorses in the NHL with 172 regular-season starts over the last three years. He has also proven to be a big game performer, with three-straight trips to the Western Conference Finals. Oettinger lost his lone start at 4 Nations, but stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced against Sweden. If he comes out of the gates hot to begin the 2025-26 season, there's a real chance he enters the Olympics as the presumed starter. Swayman is fresh off winning a gold medal with Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Sweden. He was brilliant throughout the tournament, giving up only 12 total goals in seven starts, and capped it off with a 25-save shutout in the gold medal game against Switzerland. It was a much-needed boost for the 26-year-old after a disappointing NHL season with Boston. In his first year as the Bruins' true No. 1, Swayman struggled, as did the entire team in front of him. His .892 save percentage and -6.43 GSAx were both career worsts. It was a perfect storm of new pressures as the starter with a long-term contract and an underperforming team in front of him, but Swayman is still young, and one of the most physically gifted goalies in the league combined, with great anticipation. He will need a good start to 2025-26 to fend off the talented group of goalies right behind him. Wolf had one of the better rookie seasons we've seen in awhile, finishing second in Calder Trophy voting behind Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson. He proved that despite being only 6-feet, his elite quickness and edge work are just as effective in the NHL as they've been at every level he's ever played. Advertisement Wolf's 26.38 goals saved above expected weren't just the seventh-most in the NHL last season, they were the most ever by a rookie goalie since the stat began being tracked in 2007. With a strong start to 2025-26, he would immediately join the conversation about the elite in the league, and could be among the United States' choices for the Olympics. It's easy to forget Demko's name in this conversation, considering his 2024-25 season was defined by the injuries that held him out for most of it. He started only 23 games for Vancouver and didn't look particularly sharp in them, but Demko is only one year removed from finishing second to Hellebuyck for the 2024 Vezina Trophy. When healthy, Demko has a unique combination of size, speed and technical precision that gives him one of the highest ceilings of any goalie on the planet. Will we ever see him at that level again? The Canucks clearly have reservations, signing Kevin Lankinen to a five-year, $22.5 million extension in February. That, along with Demko's status as a pending free agent after 2025-26, give the San Diego native plenty of motivation for a big year. If he returns to form, it'll be hard to argue Demko isn't one of the three best American goalies. In his opportunity to prove himself as a starter, all Stolarz did was lead the NHL with a .926 save percentage. The hulking New Jerseyan was a rock in the Maple Leafs' crease this season, and was having an outstanding postseason before he was knocked out of the second round with an injury. It might not be likely, but if a couple of the goalies above stumble out of the gates and Stolarz holds his form from the past season, he could sneak into the top three. Like with Demko, Stolarz is also entering a contract year, barring an extension from the Maple Leafs this summer. Daccord was born in Boston to a Canadian father and Swiss mother, and a lot has been made of his eligibility to play for each country in international play. According to IIHF rules, he could've chosen to play for Team Canada at this year's World Championships, but Daccord chose to play for Team USA. Advertisement Daccord played three games in that tournament, posting an impressive .919 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average in the limited opportunity behind Swayman. The 28-year-old is unlikely to crack the top three for the Olympics, but he has quietly been outstanding for the Seattle Kraken over the last two seasons. During that span, his 36.16 GSAx rank eighth in the league and second behind only Hellebuyck among Americans. (Photo of Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Sidney Crosby named to Canada's 2026 Olympic team
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
What is behind Musah tension for Milan and Napoli
What is behind Musah tension for Milan and Napoli There is still no real progress in the impasse between Milan and Napoli over the sale of Yunus Musah, but the clubs are working on resolving the issue of add-ons. It had seemed last week like practically a done deal, waiting only for the final details to be worked out. US midfielder Yunus Musah speaks to the media during a post match press conference after the men's friendly soccer match between the US and Panama, in Austin, Texas, USA, 12 Oct. 2024. EPA-EFE/DUSTIN SAFRANEK However, it all ground to a screeching halt when Milan turned down the offer worth €23m plus bonuses, a proposal that Napoli believed to be entirely fair. Advertisement Now the Partenopei have no intention of spending over the odds for the USMNT midfielder, who Milan paid €21.2m to purchase from Valencia in the summer of 2023. Napoli have plan for Musah talks Yunus Musah of AC Milan in action during the Serie A match between AC Milan and SSC Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 29, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by) According to the situation remains fairly static, as both clubs are sticking to their valuations of the player. It is possible it can be resolved by working on the add-ons, which could allow Napoli to pay the lower fixed fee, with performance-related bonuses on top. Some can be harder to achieve than others, giving the clubs some leeway on negotiations, but this is going to take time.