Meet the defender linked with Liverpool and singled out by Arne Slot looking to bring Coppa Italia glory to Bologna

Bologna is simply a beauteous metropolis known for its culinary expertise, medieval architecture and a existent Italian culture. But for astir of the modern era, it has not been known worldwide for its football. On Wednesday night, that could change.

The nine from Emilia-Romagna who dominated Italian shot successful the 1930s has been sleeping for much than fractional a century, with their past trophy coming successful 1974. But against each the likelihood they qualified for the Champions League this play and, now, are connected the verge of going 1 better.

Bologna volition play AC Milan successful the Coppa Italia last connected Wednesday evening astatine Rome’s Stadio Olimpico knowing they tin springiness their metropolis the top enactment of modern times, topping past year’s celebrations successful Piazza Maggiore to toast to getting a spot successful Europe’s elite competition.

And defender Sam Beukema, the Dutchman who speaks cleanable English, has been astatine the bosom of it each – though helium whitethorn beryllium excessively humble to admit arsenic much. ‘I americium truly excited, of course,’ helium tells Mail Sport. ‘We volition springiness our each successful the last to bring a trophy backmost to this nine and the fans.

‘I americium truly motivated. Last twelvemonth we experienced an astonishing feast successful the metropolis with each the fans who came erstwhile we qualified for the Champions League. But if we tin bring a existent prize, a trophy, to this city, the fans volition beryllium adjacent much arrogant of us. We privation to bring it location to Bologna.

‘The nutrient present is amazing, man. In Bologna they cognize however to cook! In Italy successful general, the nutrient is truly bully but Bologna… the metropolis and radical are truly nice. A batch of respect erstwhile they attack you. It is simply a truly bully spot to live, a humanities metropolis with tons of truly bully monuments.’

Beukema has been linked to Premier League clubs successful caller months with Liverpool credited with an involvement from Italian reports, portion Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid person besides been mooted arsenic a imaginable destination.

For now, though, helium is loving beingness successful Bologna and is lone focused connected winning the Coppa Italia.

One of the astir absorbing episodes of the defender’s vocation was erstwhile helium went to the location of Liverpool brag Arne Slot. Beukema was astatine Go Ahead Eagles and had a determination to marque implicit his adjacent club, Feyenoord oregon AZ Alkmaar.

He explains: ‘I went circular to his house. When I moved from Go Ahead Eagles to AZ, it was betwixt AZ and Feyenoord, some were truly funny successful me. I talked with some of them. At that constituent Arne Slot was astir to beryllium the caller manager of Feyenoord.

‘He invited maine to his place, we had a truly bully conversation. You could archer helium was a truly bully manager adjacent though I did not play with him.

‘The mode helium spoke to me, the mode helium showed maine immoderate clips of me, I thought, “Wow, I did not deliberation of that before, helium thinks astir shot differently”. But successful that play determination were uncertainties astatine Feyenoord truthful I made my prime for AZ and ne'er doubted it.’

Beukema was erstwhile successful the apical 10 successful the satellite astatine playing FIFA and helium inactive enjoys catching up with his Dutch pals connected the PlayStation, erstwhile helium is not sampling the Italian cuisine astir the city.

One item of this play was playing astatine expansive stadiums similar Anfield and Villa Park successful the Champions League and helium managed to person a catch-up with his idol, Virgil van Dijk.

‘One of the champion defenders successful the satellite close present is Van Dijk, of course,’ helium says. ‘He is Dutch truthful I look up to him. He is, I think, the best. He is simply a modern defender, I besides similar Ruben Dias and Alessandro Bastoni. They are the 3 I look up.

‘I spoke a spot with Virgil astatine Anfield aft the game. It was bully to talk a small spot with him and the different Dutch guys.

‘It’s comic to spot (the Dutch players doing truthful good astir Europe). It is truly bully to see. It says a batch astir the players that we person successful the Netherlands. We person a batch of truly bully players of a apical level. It is truly bully to spot them doing good astir Europe.’

Beukema, though helium has not been capped yet by the Netherlands, is hopeful that helium volition soon beryllium successful that class – and winning the Coppa Italia volition surely assistance with that.

He adds: ‘I started playing shot astatine six years old, I grew up with a shot astatine my feet. It was ever my imagination to go a footballer, similar each different small kid. That I present play shot successful Serie A and played my archetypal Champions League play arsenic well, it is simply a imagination travel true.

‘We person a really, truly peculiar radical astatine Bologna. I consciousness astatine location already, it is simply a truly lukewarm nine and everyone is truthful progressive from the worldly guys to the women who navigator to the players – we are 1 squad and 1 group. That is our strength, I think.

‘Since I arrived, it went similar this with the nine (points upwards). But present we privation to support going. It has been an astonishing travel truthful acold but we privation to proceed that.’