Davide Santon

Bournemouth are in talks with Roma over a possible deal for Nicolo Zaniolo but the Cherries feel the Italian has ambitions of playing for a club that can offer European football.

Bournemouth and Roma have been in talks for a number of weeks over potential deals in this window, with Zaniolo a player the Premier League side like.

If the 23-year-old is open to a move to the south coast, then Sky Sports News understands Bournemouth feel they could meet Roma’s valuation and find a financial package that works for all parties.

Zaniolo has been a target for both Tottenham and AC Milan this month, with the two sides set to face each other in the Champions League last 16.

Spurs want to sign Zaniolo on loan, while Sky in Italy understands AC Milan have asked for 24 hours to discuss whether they can raise their offer for Zaniolo beyond £17.6m towards the £26.4m Roma are asking for.

Zaniolo, who was dropped from the Roma squad at the weekend, has scored twice in 19 games in all competitions this season.

Bournemouth close in on Vina and Semenyo deals

A Roma player that Bournemouth are close to signing is defender Matias Vina.

Bournemouth have agreed a loan deal for the left-back with an option to buy in the summer, which Sky Sports News understands to be £13.2m.

The 25-year-old Uruguayan is due in the UK for a medical in the next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo is heading for his Bournemouth medical following the two clubs agreeing a deal after two bids were rejected last week.

Bournemouth will pay £9m plus add-ons for the Ghana striker who has scored eight goals in all competitions this season for the Championship side.

Personal terms are not thought to be a problem for the 23-year-old, who is also interesting Crystal Palace.

The potential arrivals of Vina and Semenyo would make it three January signings for Gary O’Neil’s side this month after they brought in Lorient winger Dango Ouattara for £20m.

AC Milan switching focus to Saint-Maximin

AC Milan are now considering Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin as a potential alternative target to Zaniolo, according to Sky in Italy.

The Serie A side are admirers of the forward, however, a valuation they understand to be at least £26.4m (€30m) would be difficult for them to pay.

Milan’s priority remains Zaniolo with talks having been held with Roma over a move.

Sky Sports News understands Newcastle would listen to significant offers for Saint-Maximin this month.

Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports

Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window closes at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Tuesday January 31, 2023

Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.

Tottenham remain interested in signing Roma forward Nicolo Zaniolo – but only in a loan deal.

Sky Sports News has been told that Spurs want to sign the player on loan.

However, at the moment, there is little chance of the deal happening and there has been no bid to buy.

Sky Italy are reporting that Roma value Zaniolo at £35m.

Sky Sports News understands Spurs have not followed up on initial interest in Brighton forward Leandro Trossard and are now looking at other attacking options, with the club renewing a long-standing interest in Zaniolo.

Jose Mourinho’s side are happy to sell Zaniolo in this window and are also prepared to do a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Zaniolo has scored just twice in 19 games in all competitions this season.

Tottenham’s interest in the Italy international comes following reports north London rivals Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Trossard.

Antonio Conte’s side are yet to make a signing this January, with the club also continuing their interest in Sporting Lisbon right wing-back Pedro Porro.

Follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports

Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window opened on Sunday January 1, 2023 and closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023

Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.

Barcelona went three points clear at the top of La Liga on Sunday with a 1-0 away win at Atletico Madrid, thanks to a first-half goal from Ousmane Dembele.

Rivals and second-placed Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal on Saturday, giving Barca the chance to seize the advantage in the league after 16 rounds.

The visitors got the only goal of the game after 22 minutes when Dembele was played clear inside the box and sent the ball into the bottom right corner.

The hosts started to wake up at the end of the half, taking over possession and sending Barcelona into defensive mode.

Two minutes into stoppage time Barca’s Ferran Torres and Atletico’s Stefan Savic were sent off for violent conduct as the visitors held on for the narrow win.

Late Abraham goal deals blow to Milan’s title hope

A goal in stoppage time by Tammy Abraham helped AS Roma snatch a 2-2 draw at AC Milan on Sunday, as Stefano Pioli’s men’s hopes of catching up to Serie A leaders Napoli suffered a blow.

It was a soggy night at the San Siro, creating slippery conditions that affected the play.

Milan’s Pierre Kalulu scored first when he headed in from a corner on the half-hour mark.

Tommaso Pobega doubled the lead in the 77th minute when he was played into space in the box and smashed the ball into the lower right corner with one touch.

Roger Ibanez pulled one back for Roma three minutes before stoppage time when he headed in a corner, and Abraham completed the late comeback six minutes later when he managed to send in a rebound from inside the box.

Milan are now third in the Serie A table with 37 points after 17 games, equal with second-placed Juventus on points and seven behind Napoli.

Napoli bounce back to extend lead at top of table

Despite missing an early penalty, Napoli bounced back from their first league defeat of the season to beat 10-man Sampdoria 2-0.

In an emotional match at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Victor Osimhen opened the scoring in the 19th minute after Matteo Politano had seen his penalty saved.

Any chance Sampdoria had of getting back into the match diminished when Toms Rincon was sent off shortly before half-time and Napoli sealed the result with another penalty.

There were video tributes before the match to former Sampdoria players Gianluca Vialli and Sinisa Mihajlovic, both of whom died recently. There were also plenty of banners in the stands dedicated to them and chants throughout the match.

The Sampdoria players warmed up wearing special jerseys bearing Vialli’s name and the No 9 which he wore when he played for the team. Flowers were also laid by the side of the field by members of the Sampdoria staff and the Italy players from Napoli.

Vialli, who died on Friday, helped Sampdoria to their only Serie A title, three Italian Cups and the European Cup final during an eight-year stint.

Mihajlovic played and coached Sampdoria, and his three children stood on the side of the field holding up a team jersey with his name on the back during a minute’s silence.

Tammy Abraham scored his first Serie A goal since September as he waits to discover if he will travel to the World Cup with England – but he could not help Roma to a win over Sassuolo as the sides played out a 1-1 draw at Mapei Stadium.

Abraham – who will be eagerly awaiting Gareth Southgate’s announcement of his 26-strong squad on Thursday at 2pm – thought he had sealed three points for Jose Mourinho’s team when he leaped amid three defenders to head in a cross from Gianluca Mancini in the 80th minute.

However, Andrea Pinamonti equalised for Sassuolo with a swift counter-attack five minutes later.

After the match, Mourinho took aim at an unnamed player, saying: “It disappoints me because the effort the squad made was betrayed by one player because of an unprofessional attitude. He betrayed the effort everyone else made.

“I have already told him in the changing room, something I don’t often do because normally after games I don’t speak in the changing room. I had 16 players out there tonight and I was happy with the attitude of 15 of them.

Dzeko at the double as Inter thrash Bologna

Inter Milan came from a goal down to ease to a crushing 6-1 home win over Bologna, despite the visitors taking the lead in bizarre fashion when Riccardo Orsolini bounced a shot off the back of team-mate Charalampos Lykogiannis and into the net.

The visitors’ joy was short-lived, however, as Edin Dzeko, Federico Dimarco and Lautaro Martinez struck to give Inter a 3-1 lead at half-time.

Dimarco and Dzeko scored their second goals of the game – either side of a Hakan Calhanoglu penalty – in the second half as Inter cruised to victory.

Meanwhile, Atalanta slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Lecce to record their second consecutive defeat.

Lecce had not won at home all season while Atalanta had not lost away, but Federico Baschirotto and Federico Di Francesco scored two minutes apart to flip the script for the hosts.

Duvan Zapata pulled one back for Atalanta before half time but the visitors were unable to get back on level terms.

The result leaves Atalanta fifth, one place behind Inter and one above Roma.

Slumping Atletico lose again

Atletico Madrid slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Mallorca to continue their poor form, with Diego Simeone’s side now having won only one of their last seven games in all competitions.

Vedat Muriqi scored Mallorca’s winner after Antonio Sanchez fired a long-range shot that Jan Oblak palmed to Jaume Costa, who set up the Kosovo striker to tap into an empty net.

Atletico, who were eliminated from European competition last week, fell from third to sixth in La Liga and are now 13 adrift of leaders Barcelona.

Real Sociedad were one of the sides to move above Atletico as they won 2-1 at Sevilla, who are 17th.

Alexander Sorloth and Brais Mendez scored for the visitors either side of Ivan Rakitic and Tanguy Nianzou red cards as Sevilla were reduced to nine men before half-time.

Jorge Sampaoli’s side rallied impressively to reduce the deficit through Rafa Mir just before half-time but were unable to salvage what would have been a remarkable point.

Elsewhere, Villarreal won their first match since Unai Emery departed for Aston Villa by claiming a 1-0 victory at Espanyol.

Quique Setien’s first victory as Villarreal boss – and the team’s first win in five matches – came courtesy of Benjamin Lecomte’s own goal and moved them into eighth in the La Liga table.

Manchester United will face Barcelona in their Europa League play-off in February, while Jose Mourinho’s Roma will take on RB Salzburg.

Xavi’s side dropped into the competition after finishing third in their Champions League group, while Man Utd lost out on top spot to Real Sociedad.

Reacting to the draw, Barcelona manager Xavi said: “We will have to compete, going to Manchester against a really top rival and a historic side which has grown a lot with the arrival of (Erik) Ten Hag.

“[They have] great individual players and it is the toughest rival once again in the Europa League.

“We will have time to analyse it, they are a strong team in both defence and attack, not just for Cristiano Ronaldo, but other players [too]. Manchester United are a historic club and they also need to win. Two big teams and it’s going to be a massive task.”

The two sides have faced each other 13 times in European competition, although Man Utd have only won three of these meetings. The last came in April 2008 with Man Utd winning 1-0 on aggregate in the Champions League semi-finals.

After a goalless draw at the Nou Camp, Paul Scholes’ 14th-minute winner at Old Trafford knocked Barcelona out. Man Utd would go on to win the competition that year, beating Chelsea on penalties in the final.

But Barcelona have won each of the last four meetings, including two Champions League finals. They were 2-0 winners at the Stadio Olimpico in May 2009 and beat Man Utd 3-1 at Wembley two years later.

Their last European match-up was in the 2018/19 quarter-finals with Barcelona winning 4-0 on aggregate.

It is also a chance for Cristiano Ronaldo to face off against his former El Clasico rival. The ex-Real Madrid player has scored 20 goals in 34 career appearances against Barcelona, although has never managed to do so for Man Utd.

The Europa League play-off comes in the middle of a busy February for Man Utd, who also face Leeds, Leicester and Brentford in the Premier League.

Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho’s Roma will face RB Salzburg with the possibility of being drawn against his former Man Utd side if both teams qualify for the last 16.

Fellow Serie A side Juventus will take on Nantes, Sevilla – six-time winners of the Europa League – will face PSV Eindhoven and Ten Hag’s former team Ajax will take on Bundesliga side Union Berlin.

Europa League play-off fixtures in full

• Barcelona vs Man Utd
• Juventus vs Nantes
• Sporting Lisbon vs FC Midtjylland
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs Rennes
• Ajax vs Union Berlin
• Bayer Leverkusen vs Monaco
• Sevilla vs PSV Eindhoven
• RB Salzburg vs Roma

‘This is not Barcelona of old’

Stephen Warnock on Sky Sports News:

“It’s what we want to see as neutrals. You want to see the best teams going up against each other. They are great spectacles.

“Man Utd will fancy their chances. This isn’t a Barcelona of old.

“They are still struggling and haven’t got the quality and personnel that you would think would challenge for the top honours.”

‘Lewandowski a big challenge for Man Utd’

Sue Smith on Sky Sports News:

“Robert Lewandowski will certainly fancy his chances against Man Utd’s defence.

“It’s a big challenge for Man Utd and a big challenge for their defenders coming up against a player in Lewandowski who we know is absolutely brilliant in front of goal.”

When will the games be played?

The first legs of the last play-off round will be played on February 16, 2023, before the return legs a week later.

When will Arsenal learn last-16 opponents?

Arsenal’s automatic progression to the last 16 of this season’s Europa League means they will have to wait for the conclusion of the play-off round before learning who they will face next in the competition.

The draw for the last 16 of the Europa League will take place on February 24, 2023, a day after the play-off second legs, with the last-16 ties held on March 9 and March 16 respectively.

Europa League key dates

• Play-off ties: February 16 and February 23
• Last-16 draw: February 24
• Last-16 ties: March 9 and March 16
• Quarter-final and semi-final draw: March 17
• Quarter-final ties: April 13 and April 20
• Semi-final ties: May 11 and May 18
• Final: May 31 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary

Europa Conference League – Lazio face Cluj as Fiorentina take on Braga

In the Europa Conference League play-off draw, Lazio were drawn against Cluj while fellow Serie A side Fiorentina will face Braga.

Anderlecht – formerly managed by Burnley boss Vincent Kompany – will face Ludogorets while Basel take on Trabzonspor for a place in the last-16.

The Premier League’s only representative – West Ham – won their group and are automatically into the round of 16 draw, which will take place in February.

Europa Conference League play-off fixtures in full

• Qarabag vs Gent
• Trabzonspor vs Basel
• Lazio vs Cluj
• Bodo/Glimt vs Lech Poznan
• Braga vs Fiorentina
• AEK Larnaca vs Dnipro-1
• Sheriff Tiraspol vs FK Partizan
• Ludogorets vs Anderlecht

When will the games be played?

The first legs of the last play-off round will be played on February 16, 2023, before the return legs a week later.

When will West Ham learn last-16 opponents?

West Ham’s automatic progression to the last 16 of this season’s Europa Conference League means they will have to wait for the conclusion of the play-off round before learning who they will face next in the competition.

The draw for the last 16 of the Europa Conference League will take place on February 24, 2023, a day after the play-off second legs, with the last-16 ties held on March 9 and March 16 respectively.

Europa Conference League key dates

• Play-off ties: February 16 and February 23
• Last-16 draw: February 24
• Last-16 ties: March 9 and March 16
• Quarter-final and semi-final draw: March 17
• Quarter-final ties: April 13 and April 20
• Semi-final ties: May 11 and May 18
• Final: June 7 at the Eden Arena in Prague, Czech Republic