Hot transfer phase

Alaba welcomed Mbappe – Marko’s future uncertain!

David Alaba welcomes Kylian Mbappe to Madrid (left); Marko Arnautovic (right) has to worry about his place at Inter.

(Bild: motivio, Photoshop)

First shake-hands between Alaba and Real's new goalscorer Kylian Mbappe. Like Xaver Schlager, the defender is sweating hard for his comeback, while Arnautovic faces stiff competition at Inter.

While some of our "EURO fighters" enjoy their last days of vacation, David Alaba and Xaver Schlager continue to work hard towards their comeback: However, both have to be patient after suffering cruciate ligament ruptures. Alaba met the "Galactic" team's new goalscorer at Real Madrid's training center this week. According to the sports newspaper "As", he will not be seen on the pitch with Kylian Mbappé until October at the earliest.

Xaver Schlager returned to the pitch for individual sessions.

(Bild: Foto: RB Leipzig / Motivio)

"The right time for changes"
Schlager returned to the pitch in Leipzig just eleven weeks after the bitter diagnosis and completed individual exercises. "I'm doing well, the knee is getting better and better, it's going in the right direction," said the 26-year-old, who did his laps with a new short haircut: "It was the right time for changes." He is completing his rehab in Leipzig and Thalgau: "It's important not to be in one place all the time. Otherwise an everyday routine creeps in where the same thing always happens."

His teammates Christoph Baumgartner and Nicolas Seiwald are expected back shortly before their departure to the US training camp (July 28), while Marko Arnautovic will resume training with Inter Milan on July 26. Following the signing of Iranian Mehdi Taremi, coach Simone Inzaghi is planning to sign another striker and has his eye on Icelander Albert Gudmundsson, which would give him a squad of five strikers. What that would mean for Arnautovic remains to be seen. The ÖFB record team player had stressed that he wanted to fulfill his contract with Inter until 2025.

Prass to Italy?
Alexander Prass is another Austrian knocking on the door of Serie A: Bologna, Stefan Posch's club, are interested, but according to "Gazzetta dello Sport", the reported transfer fee of 15 million euros is too high for the "Rossoblu". Atalanta Bergamo also appear to be in the running. Prass says: "There are inquiries and negotiations are underway. But I'm relaxed about it, I also feel very comfortable at Sturm Graz."

Looking towards Italy? For Sturm's Prass, it could be off to Serie A.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

There is still a lot of interest in the national team after the bitter EURO exit: The 16,500 tickets for the Nations League home game against Norway and superstar Erling Haaland on October 16 in Linz were sold out within 30 minutes, and there is also considerable interest in the game against Kazakhstan three days earlier in Linz.