A stroll through Italy and the Serie A
by Richard Whittle, SerieA.tv
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AS Roma have moved a step closer to signing Julio Baptista from Real Madrid after the striker's agent revealed the clubs had come to agreement over the transfer fee.
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The Giallorossi have been tracking the powerful Brazilian, known as "The Beast" all summer and seem to have finally landed him.
Herminio Menendez said: "It looks as if the two clubs have agreed a fee but still have to speak to Real.
"I expect the deal to go through sometime this week when myself and business partner Juan Figer can meet with Roma."
The capital club are in need of reinforcements after Amantino Mancini moved to Inter and Ludovic Giuly returned to France.
Coach Luciano Spalletti saw his side hammered 5-0 at Tottenham at the weekend in a setback to their preparations ahead of the new campaign.
Adriano hitting right note
Adriano believes that he is returning to his best form ahead of the new season.
The Brazilian is back at Inter after a loan spell at San Paolo and has been one of new coach Jose Mourinho's brightest performers in the recent friendlies.
The 26-year-old, who scored the only goal of the game against Ajax at the weekend, said: "I am pleased with the way things are going but I know I need to keep my feet on the ground and continue to work hard."
The match in Amsterdam was the striker's first run-out with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Rio-born star added: "We have to get used to each other and understand the movement but I enjoy creating space for him."
Frey wary of Euro trouble
Sebastien Frey has promised that Fiorentina will not under-estimate their Champions League opponents Slavia Prague on Tuesday.
The Viola go into the final qualify round of the competition with the first leg at home against the Czech Republic champions and the goalkeeper said: "We are well prepared for this game and we will face this game as if it were Barcelona."
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The Frenchman, along with team-mate Adrian Mutu, has recently committed his long-term future to the Tuscan side and the 28-year-old added: "There is great potential here and I want to be part of the long-term future of this club."
AC Milan target Chelsea defender
AC Milan are set to swoop for Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in a loan deal.
The Rossoneri have plenty of injury problems at the back where both Alessandro Nesta and Kakha Kaladze are both sidelined.
Carlo Ancelotti claimed that he was not keen on bringing the Serb to the San Siro and Juventus could yet step in.
However, with Dario Simic expected to leave the club and move to Spanish side Espanyol the coach may have to accept the decision.
Ancelotti watched his side lose to Manchester City over the weekend but maintained he had seen a step forward from the 5-0 annihilation at the hands of Chelsea last week.
He said: "We still have a long way to go but there was some small improvements. I want the team to focus on the season ahead rather than the pre-season friendlies."
Richard Whittle is the chief writer and match commentator for SerieA.TV and contributes Italian soccer news for FoxSoccer.com.
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