Juventus recently had a summit with the agent of Miralem Pjanic, but his return to Turin is not particularly close. A pair of issues related to his salary suggest that the deal could materialize only late in the summer, Tuttosport reports.
First of all, Juventus want to keep the payroll in check. Therefore, they could add the Bosnian international only after the departure of Aaron Ramsey. At this stage, they have received no offers for the Welshman. Their other top-paid midfielder, Adrien Rabiot, is highly likely to stay put. In addition, Massimiliano Allegri does not want a particularly large roster.
Moreover, Pjanic saw his salary increase to €7.5M per year with the move to Barcelona. The Bianconeri would bring him back only at a lower yearly sum. The Blaugrana probably would not contribute to making up the difference, as they have already done enough to facilitate his exit. The 31-year-old midfielder is reportedly available on a free. He is pushing to transfer back to the Old Lady, but it is uncertain whether it will indeed happen.
Juventus have not ruled out the possibility of adding a further midfielder with those traits, on top of Manuel Locatelli. However, they would do it only for minimal disbursement. They have shown interest also in Leandro Paredes, who could leave PSG on loan in the final days of the window. Instead, on the Locatelli front, the management is preparing a raise and will offer Sassuolo a strong percentage of a future sale, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs.