Juventus are waiting for Zinedine Zidane’s decision and see him as the top candidate to replace Andrea Pirlo. They would pick him over Massimiliano Allegri, but the talks with him have been inconclusive at best thus far, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
Zidane is likely to leave Real Madrid, although a sudden change of mind would not be too shocking since it has already happened a couple of times in the past. He was negotiating a two-year extension two weeks ago, then he went in the opposite direction. Andrea Agnelli is tight with Florentino Perez and is aware of his plans. He will not engage in a bidding war for Allegri and would consider him only if he did not join the Galacticos.
Juventus unsuccessfully tried to poach Zidane a year ago when Maurizio Sarri was sacked. There has not been much communication between the two sides in recent weeks. Moreover, he would demand at least €10M per year, if not more, and qualifying for Champions League is a deciding factor. Their chase is still at the very early stages.
Despite the disappointing season, a surprise confirmation for Pirlo is not out of the question, should he finish strong, taking home Coppa Italia Wednesday and surpassing Milan or Napoli in the final Serie A matchday. The chairman still thinks very highly of the rookie manager.
Juventus have several fallback plans in case they missed out on their primary targets. Simone Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso will be out of their contracts with Lazio and Napoli at the end of the season. Bologna gaffer Sinisa Mihajlovic is also in the mix, while Gian Piero Gasperini would be harder to get.