Italy becomes sick man of European club soccer

ROME - Having once been the major power in European and world club soccer, Italy is rapidly becoming the sick man of Europe in footballing terms.

Only 10 years ago, Italy topped the UEFA country rankings but after Schalke 04 beat reigning champion Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, it dropped below Germany to fourth and lost a place in the Champions League.

It has been a remarkably swift decline for the once all-conquering Italy which has seen it's economic fortunes suffer as problems mount on the pitch.

Gone are the days when Italian teams poached the best talent in the world, including England and Spain, with mega-money transfers.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic did come back to Italy from a year-long spell in Spain, but it was Barcelona which flexed its financial muscle to rip him from Inter Milan's grasp in the first place, only to discard him in a cut-price deal to Milan a year later when it no longer wanted him.

If Milan tried to trumpet that as proof they were still a major player, this summer has shown that it was but an exception to the rule.

Milan's only signings so far have been free transfers to bring Philippe Mexes from Roma and Taye Taiwo from Marseille, whilst it also bought out Genoa's half share in Kevin Prince-Boateng.

It has been linked with moves for Liverpool's unwanted Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani and want-away Fiorentina captain Riccardo Montolivo, but neither of those, should they come off, could be described as a coup.

That it hasn't yet happened is proof that Milan simply doesn't have the money or willingness to go out and make the trades happen.

Rather than twist anyone's arm with a handsome offer it is instead forced to spend weeks trying to negotiate a favorable deal.

Juventus spent a lot of time telling the world it was in the market for big stars, but Manchester City easily out-bid it for Sergio Aguero, Alexis Sanchez had eyes only for Barcelona and it completely failed to prise Giuseppe Rossi from Villarreal, instead opting for the cheaper, older and more inconsistent Mirko Vucinic from Roma.

But the biggest indication of Italy's weakening financial clout has been seen at Inter Milan.

Champion of Europe just over a year ago, it has been tempted into selling its stars this summer.

Most alarmingly is the news that Samuel Eto'o is due to be snatched by the continent's new financial power, Russia.

Regardless of current wrangling, Anzhi Makhachkala essentially offered enough money to convince Inter to sell the man who was its best player last season, while it also seemed prepared to let Wesley Sneijder - probably its most instrumental figure in winning the Champions League - leave until it simply couldn't find a buyer.

The general consensus is that Inter will try to use the Eto'o money to fund a bid for City's Carlos Tevez but this wouldn't be a case of it out-bidding all suitors, rather them providing a solution to an expensive problem of which City has grown tired.

Italy simply isn't in the same league as its major European rival and while Germany has overtaken it on the pitch, Russia has surpassed it in the banks, proven even by the innocuous transfer of leftback Domenico Criscito's move from Genoa to Zenit St Petersburg.

Agence France-Presse