Yesterday the transfer of ownership of AC Milan from the Singer family's Elliott fund to founder Gerry Cardinale's RedBird Capital Partners fund was made official, a 1.2 billion dollar operation. But the American company will only end up paying 600 million, thanks to a 'vendor loan' of the same amount financed by the sellers to the purchasing company with an annual interest of 7%.

These new owners are not new to investments in sports, holding 10% of Fenway Sports Group, which controls Boston Red Sox, Liverpool and Toulouse, and a share in On Location Experiences, which has acquired the management of tickets for the next three Olympics from the IOC.

For Milan, this is a splendid opportunity, with Cardinale promising that he wants to take Milan to the top of European and world football. Of a different tone are the rumours circulating about the possible sale of Skriniar to Ps Germain: denied by Inter, but revived by the transalpine media. And in France, the market closes tomorrow. The result is a different vision for each of the two Milanese clubs that will face each other on Saturday afternoon in a high-tension derby- on one side Milan, with a shareholder willing to invest, on the other, Inter, with ownership that has cancelled Acerbi’s arrival for financial reasons.

The midweek round (which will close today with Atalanta-Torino and Bologna-Salernitana) offered more interesting insights than expected. Milan lost the summit by drawing with Sassuolo in Reggio Emilia, with Sassuolo also missing a penalty with Berardi. But what worried Pioli was his men’s poor efforts after Leao's initial flashes. The midfield seemed despondent, lacking in continuity and intensity until Tonali came on in the 57th minute. The defence was fragile, the team repeatedly put in harm’s way. The attack? Spotty. Too much turn-over. The great Sassuolo! Dionisi is a miracle worker, in spite of recent illustrious departures: Raspadori, Scamacca, and before that, Boga and Locatelli.

On the other hand, Inter, deprived of their injured Lukaku, found themselves giving away numerous goal balls to Cremonese. The phenomenal Barella is undoubtedly the best player in Italian football. It comes in waves.

If the Sardinian tamburino inflamed the Meazza, the Argentine Dybala thrilled the Olimpico with a brace that allowed Roma to beat Monza easily, and for him to score his 100th Serie A goal. Who knows if he will take Totti's in the hearts of the giallorossi fans, who now find themselves at the top of the championship. In the meantime, woe betide Mourinho, hailed as a king, capable of assembling a fine mosaic despite the lack of important pieces such as Zaniolo and Wijnaldum. Meanwhile he leads the hierarchy in solitude. Who would have imagined this?

Sarri's team disadvantaged themselves by wasting at least four goal-balls in the first half. Immobile's goalpost, in particular, was raucous. The wastage infuriated the coach: “The game should have been closed before half-time, and ended in the worst possible way,” he commented. How can you blame him?

Samp, who levelled the score in the penalty shoot-out, could also complain about the penalty (Marusic's stomp on Quagliarella's foot) denied by referee Aureliano despite a call to the monitor. For the doriani this is the second disgrace after the goal unjustly annulled in the first round against Atalanta. One wonders, however, where Lazio ended up in the second half. In turn, Napoli, after the draw in Florence, got bogged down against the tidy defence of Lecce who, at 0-0, even missed a penalty but then broke even. The Neapolitans' mistakes were unthinkable, and Spalletti has perhaps changed too much.  

Juventus moved up to third place, in the company of AC Milan and Lazio, thanks to a hard-fought victory over Spezia. The game remains an optional. Luckily for Allegri, who is struggling to find a square, there is Vlahovic, but the Serbian, the person behind of another fabulous goal on a free kick, continues to be served badly with improbable throws; a waste. On the positive side, Miretti's try and Milik's double.

In view of the European cup debut, the signs are negative.