Juventus continue to keep an eye on wantaway Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso, who could be a surprise option late in the transfer window. As reported by Calciomercato, the ex-Lyon star is an alternative target for the Bianconeri if their pursuit of Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli goes south.
Juventus remain in contention for Locatelli despite failing to convince Sassuolo to sanction the move. Negotiations are well underway, but neither side is willing to abandon their stance. While the Neroverdi stubbornly stick to their €40m valuation of the Italian midfield metronome, the Turin giants are desperate to drive the price down.
Except for Locatelli, Juventus are also working on bringing Miralem Pjanic back from Barcelona on a two-year loan. The Bosnian playmaker looks to be a more realistic purchase at the moment, but his potential return will not influence Juve’s efforts to land Sassuolo’s 23-year-old rising star.
However, there could still be a few surprise deals before the transfer window curtain call. One such prospect could be Tolisso, who seems to be counting his final days in Bavaria. Coming off an underwhelming season under Hansi Flick, the 26-year-old is on the brink of cutting ties with Bayern.
Having entered the final year of his contract at the Allianz Arena, Tolisso could be available for a cut-price deal. The perennial Bundesliga champions are aware they won’t be able to recoup €41.5m they paid Lyon in 2017.
Yet, they would rather sell the Frenchman this summer than letting him leave on a free transfer this time next year. Per some reports, the Bavarians want around €20m to let Tolisso off the hook.
Tolisso was close to leaving Bayern last summer, but Thiago Alcantara’s departure for Liverpool extended his stay in Munich. This time around, though, the box-to-box midfielder seems likely to clutch a new deal elsewhere.