Milan Derby: Bitter rivals experience contrasting fortunes in Serie A

This was supposed to be AC Milan’s year.

A summer of heavy investment, bankrolled by the club’s new Chinese owners, was meant to signal the start of a return to the glory days in which the Rossoneri competed with Europe’s elite.

An entirely new starting XI could be fielded from the players acquired, with Milan boasting the signings of Leonardo Bonucci from reigning Serie A champions Juventus, promising midfielder Franck Kessie and Portugal’s brightest young star, striker Andre Silva.

Seven league games into the season, however, and the influx of stars have so far failed to gel and find consistency as a team.

Solid, if not spectacular, wins have been punctuated by comprehensive, humbling defeats – a 4-1 hammering away to Lazio stands out as a particular low point – leaving the Rossoneri seventh in Serie A.

And if Milan lose to city rivals Inter in Sunday’s match their hopes of securing a Champions League place next season could suffer significant damage.

READ: AC Milan sold to Chinese investors for $820 million

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‘Special atmosphere’

City rivals Inter, conversely, enjoyed a much quieter summer.

Perhaps the club’s best piece of business was holding onto Croatian Ivan Perisic who, for much of the transfer window, was reportedly a target for Manchester United.

The tall, athletic winger has gone on to sign a new deal with Inter until 2022 and rewarded his employers with three goals in the opening seven league games.

Star striker Mauro Icardi – who has a endured complicated relationship with his own fans – continues to be prolific in front of goal, notching six in just seven appearances already this season.

Both Serie A derbies between these two clubs finished 2-2 last season and Inter midfielder Antonio Candreva is determined for his side to do better on Sunday.

“City derbies are always unique matches, be it in Rome or Milan,” he told the Inter website. “The week ahead of the derby has a very special atmosphere.

“Last year, I scored twice in my first two derbies here in Milan but we drew both, I want to win this time, it doesn’t matter who scores.

“We’re looking good in the standings but we know that we can always improve and that’s what we intend to do, bring good play and victories together. The important thing is to always give your best and leave the pitch with a shirt covered in sweat.”

Inter currently sit pretty in third, level on points with Juventus and just two behind early pacesetters Napoli.

For AC Milan, Sunday’s derby presents an opportunity to get the club’s faltering start to the season back on track and close the seven point gap that has opened up to rivals Inter.

Naby Keita: RB Leipzig - Liverpool ($62 million) —

After starring for RB Leipzig last season, Liverpool agreed a deal for Naby Keita to move to Merseyside in July 2018. The $62 million deal will be a club record for Liverpool and will make Keita the most expensive African player ever. The Guinean international was included in last seasons Bundesliga Team of the Year, and will look to solidify Liverpool's worries in central midfield following Jordan Henderson's long term injury problems.

Neymar: Barcelona → PSG ($261 million) —

Brazilian forward Neymar, 25, became the most expensive player in the history of world football on August 4, just a week after Barcelona said he would "200%" be staying. PSG's total outlay, including wages and agent fees, is likely to exceed half a billion dollars over the course of his five-year contract..

Romelu Lukaku: Everton → Manchester United: ($94.6 million) —

Although Romelu Lukaku looked destined to re-sign for Chelsea following the end of the 2016/2017 season, the Belgian forward instead opted for a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford, as Manchester United look to challenge for the Premier League. Lukaku, 24, was a key component of Everton's success last season, guiding the Toffees to fifth having scored 40% of the side's Premier League goals.

Alvaro Morata: Real Madrid → Chelsea ($71.4 million) —

Spanish international striker Alvaro Morata joined Chelsea in July in a club-record deal, surpassing the $63 million the Blues paid for Fernando Torres in 2011. Morata, 24, scored 15 league goals from just 55 shots for Real Madrid en route to winning the 2016/17 La Liga title.

Benjamin Mendy: AS Monaco → Manchester City ($66.2 million) —

Pep Guardiola completed the revamp of his Manchester City backline with the signing of French left back Benjamin Mendy from Monaco in July. The athletic 23-year-old signed for the Ligue 1 side in the summer of 2016, making 25 league appearances en route to the French title.

Alexandre Lacazette: Lyon → Arsenal ($72.6 million) —

Alexandre Lacazette starred for Lyon last season, scoring 37 goals in 45 appearances for the French side. The 26-year-old boasted an eye catching record of 10 penalties converted in Ligue 1 and, with Arsenal's conversion rate from the spot last year (66%) in mind, Arsene Wenger will be hoping that the club's record signing can replicate his previous form.

Gylfi Sigurdsson: Swansea City → Everton ($57.6 million) —

Icelandic set piece specialist Gylfi Sigurdsson became the eighth signing of a productive window for Everton boss Ronald Koeman in August, joining for a club-record fee. The attacking midfielder, 27, covered more ground (433 kilometers) than any other Premier League player in 2016/17, directly contributing to 22 Swansea goals.

Kyle Walker: Tottenham - Man City ($58.7 million) —

After missing out on Dani Alves, Manchester City hunted down long-term target, Kyle Walker. The right-back, who fell out of favor towards the end of last season at Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham and only started four of the team's last 12 matches, joins City in a record fee for a defender.

Bernardo Silva: AS Monaco → Manchester City ($55.9 million) —

Following an impressive Ligue 1 title-winning season, where the Portuguese international chipped in with a goal or assist every 147 minutes, Bernardo Silva joined a Manchester City team eager to improve on last season's third-place finish in the Premier League.

Tiemoué Bakayoko: AS Monaco - Chelsea ($51.7 million) —

Tiemoué Bakayoko links up with French international teammate N'golo Kante to make up Chelsea's central midfield duo. The 23-year-old impressed for Monaco in the Ligue 1 club last campaign, winning 57 tackles and 62 aerial duels over the course of the season.

Leonardo Bonucci: Juventus → AC Milan ($48.4 million) —

AC Milan's new owners made their intentions to rebuild clear with the signing of Italian international central defender Leonardo Bonucci. His transfer, from Serie A rival Juventus, involved the highest fee ever for a player aged 30 or over.

Douglas Costa: Bayern Munich → Juventus ($6.8 million loan fee with option to buy for $45.6 million in 2018) —

Douglas Costa departs the Allianz Arena two seasons after joining the German side, where he scored 14 goals in 77 appearances. The former Shakhtar Donetsk star saw his chances limited last season after he was sidelined due to an hamstring injury sustained in September, before enduring another extended spell on the sidelines with a knee problem.

James Rodríguez: Real Madrid → Bayern Munich ($11.4 million loan fee with option to buy for $39.9 million in 2019) —

Colombian international James Rodriguez joined Bayern Munich on a two-year loan looking to revive his promising career after a mixed three seasons at the Bernabeu, where he managed 28 league goals and 22 assists in 77 appearances for the club.

Victor Lindelof: SL Benfica → Manchester United ($39.1 million) —

Swedish center back Victor Lindelof missed just two league matches of Benfica's title-winning 2016/17 campaign, during which the Portuguese club conceded a mere 19 goals in 34 league matches.

Vinicius Junior*: Flamengo → Real Madrid ($48.9 million) *Player will officially join Real Madrid in July 2018 —

Vinicius Junior became one of the most expensive teenagers in the history of world football when Real Madrid agreed a fee just 11 days after his professional debut in Brazil's Serie A. The 17-year-old will remain with parent club Flamengo this season.

Corentin Tolisso: Lyon → Bayern Munich ($47.3 million) —

Corentin Tolisso leaves Lyon following three seasons with the seven-time French champions, where he scored 29 times and contributed with a further 17 assists in 160 appearances.

Ederson: SL Benfica → Manchester City ($44.5 million) —

With England first choice keeper Joe Hart expected to depart the Etihad stadium, Manchester City's goalkeeping troubles have been eased with the signing of Ederson. The Brazilian impressed in his two seasons with SL Benfica, keeping 32 clean sheets in 58 appearances.

Mohammad Salah: AS Roma → Liverpool ($44.1 million) —

Former Chelsea midfielder Salah joins Liverpool on the back of an impressive season with AS Roma, where the Egyptian's 19 goals and 15 assists helped I Giallorossi to a second-place finish. Salah created a team-leading 71 chances over the course of last season's Serie A campaign.

Antonio Rudiger: AS Roma → Chelsea ($43.8 million) —

Antonio Rudiger's stellar performances for Germany's Confederations Cup winning side were enough to convince Chelsea boss Antonio Conte the 24-year-old should become his newest defensive signing, as the Blues look to strengthen their backline in hopes of retaining the Premier League title.

Anthony Modeste: FC Köln → Tianjin Quanjian ($39.8 million) —

The 28-year-old Anthony Modeste had a late breakthrough season during the 2016/17 campaign where he found the back of the net 27 times in 37 appearances for FC Köln. Modeste joins a Tianjin side eager to challenge Guangzhou Evergrande's dominance after Luiz Felipe Scolari's team won the last six Chinese Super League titles.

Andre Silva: FC Porto → AC Milan ($43.3 million) —

Even though Andre Silva's FC Porto fell just short of first place and were beaten to the Primiera Liga title by local rival SL Benfica, his 22 goals in 41 appearances proved enough to secure his move to a rebuilding AC Milan.

Jordan Pickford: Sunderland → Everton ($38.6 million) —

Although Jordan Pickford only boasted a 15% clean sheet success rate last season, the 23-year-old was arguably Sunderland's only bright light following a disastrous 2016/2017 campaign in which the Premier League side was relegated to the second tier of English football.

Michael Keane: Burnley → Everton ($38.6 million) —

Manchester United academy graduate Michael Keane was key to Burnley's success in his three seasons with the club, and joins Everton in the hope of filling the hole that Manchester City center back John Stones left when he departed Goodison Park in 2016. Keane won 136 aerial duels over the course of last season.

Davy Klaassen: Ajax → Everton ($30.4 million) —

Davy Klaassen's Ajax finished the season without securing any silverware, but the 24-year-old did guide his side to the Europa League final.

Theo Hernandez: Atletico Madrid → Real Madrid ($29.6 million) —

Theo Hernandez has become one of the few that have dared to make the cross-city switch from Atletico to Real Madrid following his eye-catching performance whilst on loan at Deportivo Alavés. The 19-year-old made 37 appearances for the Basque side, averaging two tackles per game.

Andrea Conti: Atalanta → AC Milan ($28.5 million) —

Acting as the centerpiece of Atalanta's historic 2016/2017 season where the side beat out the likes of Inter Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina to a fourth-place finish, Conti joins AC Milan to become a part of their major redevelopment. The 23-year-old was a pivotal part of the league's fourth best defence, conceding 41 goals and keeping 14 clean sheets.

Dani Alves: Juventus → PSG (Free Transfer) —

Alves looked set for a reunion with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but instead opted to join a PSG side determined to clinch the Ligue 1 trophy once again. The 34-year-old left Juventus following a one-year spell with the club, where he averaged 2.6 successful tackles per game.

Paris Saint Germain made Mbappe the second most expensive player in history as they brought the French international back to his hometown to play alongside Neymar in a frontline worth close to half a billion dollars.

Summer transfer window: 25 major moves

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Victory for the Nerazzurri, on the other hand, could perhaps prompt fans to begin wondering whether its time for the club to retake its place at the top table of Italian football.