Massimiliano Allegri has indicated that adding a physical midfielder should be the top priority for Juventus in the upcoming window. He would like to acquire somebody who is already accustomed to Serie A. Paul Pogba and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the ideal targets, but club will have to tread carefully between its technical needs and its finances this summer, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
The Manchester United star has been insistently linked with a return to Turin in the last couple of seasons. He has only a year left on his contract. Instead, the Lazio linchpin has been on the Bianconeri radar ever since he broke out, but president Claudio Lotito has always set a sky-high price tag. The brass believes both would be well-worth of a sizeable investment, even at the expense of other roles.
The chase of Manuel Locatelli has been put on ice until the end of the Euro. The belief is that Juventus will have the funds for just one pricey signing in the midfield. Therefore, they are unlikely to participate in a bidding war for the Italian starlet, should it kick off in mid-July. They are considering including Nicolò Rovella in their initial bid. Miralem Pjanic returning on loan represents a significantly cheaper alternative.
Allegri has worked with only one of the midfielders currently on the roster, Rodrigo Bentancur, whom he molded into a box-to-box. While nobody will be outright discarded, all the players in that position are not locks to make next season’s roster. Adrien Rabiot has a high salary and could be involved in some swaps. Arthur has some suitors even though he is keen on staying to redeem himself after a tough season. Weston McKennie has a suitable skill set for the new boss’s ideas, but he has to improve off the pitch.