Serie A Preview : AC milan vs Lecce

Stadio San Siro will be full for the presentation of new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic this evening, and afterwards, Milan will play the first match of the Serie A against newly promoted side U.S. Lecce.

Massimo Oddo and Mathieu Flamini are out injured, while Marek Jankulovski, Kakha Kaladze, Oguchi Onyewu, Gianluca Zambrotta, Mario Yepes and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have not been called-up.

In the meantime, new coach Massimiliano Allegri will have all of his players available to face Lecce, with Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato set to start having recovered from a muscular injury.

"I am not 100% but I feel better,'' said Pato. "I believe I will be ready for our first game of the season.

"My aim is always to help the team do well and contribute so that Milan wins everything.''

Rivals Lecce make their anticipated return to Serie A tomorrow but will have to do without injured striker Ernesto Chevanton.

Chevanton, who is returning to the club for a second spell after six years away, was the biggest name in a summer of busy recruitment in Lecce.

Chevanton is recuperating from a muscular problem while Lecce coach Luigi De Canio will also be without suspended midfielder Riccardo Oliveira.


AC Milan Squad List

Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati, Marco Amelia, Flavio Roma;

Defenders: Luca Antonini, Daniele Bonera, Alessandro Nesta, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Thiago Silva;

Midfielders: Ignazio Abate, Massimo Ambrosini, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Rodney Strasser;

Forwards: Marco Borriello, Filippo Inzaghi, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho.
U.S Lecce Squad List

Goalkeepers: Giulio Donati, Alberto Giuliatto, Antonio Rosati, Massimiliano Benassi;

Defenders: Simone Sini, Tore Reginiussen, Stefano Ferrario,

Midfielders: Gianni Munari, Djamel Mesbah, Guillermo Giacomazzi, Ignacio Piatti, Giuseppe Vives, Carlos Grossmüller, Davide Brivio

Forwards: Daniele Corvia, Bryan Bergougnoux, Javier Chevantón, Andrea Bertolacci.

Zlatan "Ibra" ibrahimovic is a milan player !!!!

FINALLY! HE'S OURS!

AC Milan have signed FC Barcelona player Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

After long days of negotiations, AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has made it and he brought the 28-year-old Sweden to Milan!


Zlatan Ibrahimovic Bio
Viewed as one of the world's top strikers, as well as being one of the most temperamental, Ibrahimovic made a name for himself at Inter Milan and won himself numerous personal awards at the San Siro. Known for his strength, aerial ability and fiery personality, Ibrahimovic has been compared to Dutch legend Marco Van Basten for his playing style, before he started a new chapter his career with Barcelona.

Born to a Bosnian father and a Croatian mother, Ibrahimovic grew up in Sweden and plays for the Swedish national team. He began his career at nearby Malmo FF, before moving to Ajax where he blossomed, but courted controversy in his three years, before he was sold to Juventus.

Caught up in the Calciopoli scandal, Ibrahimovic was relegated to Serie B, but was not keen to stay on in Turin. Moving to Internazionale for £16.7 million, he became a fixture in their three title-winning side and then-boss Jose Mourinho claimed that he was, for him, "the best player in the world, ahead of (Cristiano) Ronaldo" - although the quote raised some eyebrows.

In 2009, he announced that he would like to seek a new challenge and agreed terms on an incredible swap deal with Samuel Eto'o that would see him become a Barcelona player for 2009-10, signing a five-year deal.

Strengths: Strong and agile, he plays well with his back to goal and boasts some of the best ball control around.

Weaknesses: Drifts in and out of games, has questionable temperament and has been criticised for his work-rate in the big matches.

Career high: Top scored in Serie A in 2009 as he led Inter to the title.

Career low: Missed a penalty as Sweden were knocked out of Euro 2004 following a shoot-out loss to Netherlands.

Style: Languid, stylish, a composed and agile striker.

Quotes: "What [John] Carew does with a football, I can do with an orange." Zlatan Ibrahimovic responds to criticism from the Norwegian striker.

Trivia: Ibrahimovic received a black belt in taekwondo at the age of 17.

The transfer saga :
21:45: More from Galliani: “With Ibra, Pato and Ronaldinho, our team is not inferior to no one in Europe.”

21:36: Ibra: “I’m glad the situation. It was not easy, but it all worked out for the best. Why AC Milan? Because it is one of the strongest clubs in the world, with a great tradition. Ronaldinho and Pato? It’s a great attack, depend on us. Fans of AC Milan will enjoy. Supporters of Inter? I do not what they think now that I have won everything there. Dreams? I want ton win the Champions League and all that we can win.

21:31: acmilan.com confirmed Galliani’s words: “A.C. MILAN announces the acquisition of the player Zlatan Ibrahimovic from F.C. Barcelona, through a free loan with the option to purchase the athlete’s playing rights for € 24 million at the end of the season 2010-2011. The Swedish champion will go through the medical exams tomorrow morning, before signing the contract that will tie him to the Rossonero club for four years.”

21:25: Galliani revealed to Sky Sport 24 the nature of the transfer: “We defined acquisition loan with right of repurchase for 24 million. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will undergo medical tomorrow and will sign a four-year contract.”

21:15: Speaking to Milan Channel, Milan new striker, Ibrahimovic said: “Barcelona are fixing the last things, and then there will be the announcement. I am very pleased, I can’t wait for tomorrow. “

20:42: Silvio Berlusconi has left Milanello, and the official announcement will come soon from the mouth of Vice President Galliani directly from Spain. 20:38: Raiola, Ibrahimovic, Galliani and Rosell left the office of the Barcelona President. Meanwhile, Berlusconi is talking to the players in Milanello.

20:30: Here is the program for tomorrow: Ibrahimovic will arrive tomorrow at Milan’s Linate Airport around 12:30pm. The player will then speak to Coach Allegri and understand what the project of the team is.

At 19:45, there will be a press conference at the San Siro, followed by a walk around the pitch before the Lecce match.

20:20: Ibrahimovic is an AC Milan player! There is still no official announcement but the player is now a Rossonero. 20:02: Ibra has signed a four-year contract with AC Milan! The official announcement will come in few minutes!

19:56: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has arrived to the Camp Nou to sign the termination of his contract with Barcelona and his new deal with AC Milan. However, before entering he joked with the press: “I’m here to sign a contract renewal with Barcelona, Guardiola asked me to.” 19:35: Mr. Silvio Berlusconi has arrived to training center Milanello and he will probably announce on the purchase by himself.

19:16: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has not been called-up for tomorrow’s match against Lecce and it appears that he will now move to German side Schalke 04 for 12 million.

19:00: The official announcement will come in 30 minutes on both club’s site. The deal is a loan with an obligation to buy for 25 million. "

18:55: In few minutes, the official announcement should come according to reports. Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks on verge of becoming a Rossonero.

18:17: The meeting between Galliani, Rosell and Raiola has started two hours ago. More news are expected soon.

17:05: More from Raiola: “The press? I do not understand why they are resentful. Barça is free to think what you want, I express my views. My only duty is to represent my player. The negotiations for Zlatan? We will see, for the time nothing is decided.”

16:30: Adriano Galliani and Mino Raiola have reached the Camp Nou. Raiola: “We are still in the eighth month. We still lack all the agreements. Ends today? The important thing is to make it closed by August 31.

16:23: Allegri spoke about Ibra during the press conference ahead of Lecce game: “If president Berlusconi will acquire Ibrahimovic we will be all very happy because he is important player, he is a champion who goes to complete a very strong attack.” 16:20: Negotiations are expected to be long; Barcelona want to discus first with Ibra’s agent Raiola.

15:50: Rosell has arrived to Barcelona’s headquarters at the Camp Nou. The meeting should begin shortly.

15:40: The meeting is about to start, there are few journalists in the Camp Nou already waiting for Galliani, Raiola and Rosell. Sky Sport’s Alessandro Alciato reports Galliani will use a credit card to pay Barcelona 30 million.

15:48: Barcelona President Sandro Rosell has returned from Ibiza, where he spent the weekend, in order to take part in the decisive meeting on Ibra along with Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani and the player’s agent Mino Raiola.

14:15: According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the meeting between Adriano Galliani and Mino Raiola has been brought forward in half an hour. It will start on

16:00 Spain time. The reason for this change is to close the deal in daytime. 13:20: Still waiting for the decisive meeting between Raiola and Galliani. Meanwhile, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri will hold a press conference ahead of Lecce game, which takes place tomorrow night.

12:44: As reported in the Spanish daily El Mundo Deporativo, Milan tried to offer players in exchange for Ibrahimovic, but the only man Barca were interested in was Alexandre Pato. Adriano Galliani of course, did not accept that.

12:05: Pep Guardiola: “I am tired of the Ibrahimovic situation, we will see what happens in the coming hours. I am not happy with the way this situation has been managed. For now Ibrahimovic is a Barcelona player. We will see what happens. “I am the boss here, and I decided not to pick him [for Sunday's clash against Racing Santander]. In a normal situation he would have been picked. But in this situation, it was best not to select him. “In any case I am staying calm and will make team decisions. Raiola? I am surprised that he knows me so well. I have ever only spoken to him once in my life. I thank the club for defending me after they published the statement. That has not affected me as I can defend myself. I said okay to the statement and now it’s with the legal team.”

11:22: According to rumours, the compensations the Sweden will receive from the Spanish club could be an addition discount on the amount Milan will have to pay Sandro Rosell’s club. If it’s true, Milan will have to pay 25m at the end of the season in order to bring the 28-year-old permanently.

11:01: Barca coach Pep Guardiola has dropped Ibra from the squad for Sunday’s clash against Racing Santander. These are the players Pep has called-up: Valdés, Pinto, Abidal, Alves, Milito, Piqué, Puyol, Maxwell, Adriano, Sergio Busquets, Keita, Xavi, Iniesta, Jeffren, Bojan, Messi, Pedro, Villa.

10:56: Barcelona seem reluctant to pay the player’s compensations. It appears that Raiola will now try to lower his demands from yesterday. At the moment, we are waiting for the final meeting between Galliani and agent Raiola at 16:30.

10:13: Milan CEO Adriano Galliani and Ibra’s agent Mino Raiola had a dinner last night; they looked calm and ready to for the birth of the transfer. 10:08: As reported last night, AC Milan and FC Barcelona have agreed on the loan of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Spain to Italy. The Rossoneri will be obligated to sign the player at the end of the season for 25/30 million.