Real Madrid, yesterday, announced the signing of Alvaro Morata, after they exercised the option to buy him back for €30m, and that has forced Juventus to look for a replacement. Reports in Italy today suggest the Serie A champions are interested in signing Premier League stars Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku. Thursday’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport discusses different players Juventus could sign to replace Morata. The four players on Juventus’ wishlist are Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Michy Batshuayi, and Gabriel Jesus.
Juventus should be prepared to face competition to sign Batshuayi and Gabriel Jesus, whilst the Premier League stars could be an expensive option for the Serie A side. It is reported Everton are in no mood to sell Lukaku, and that Juventus should at least offer €50m to begin negotiations for the Belgian star.
Lukaku’s agent, Mino Raiola, wants his client to move to Italy, but that has always looked unlikely, and Gazzetta finally admit Lukaku is a very expensive option for Serie A clubs.
Chilean star Alexis Sanchez is the other name mentioned by Gazzetta, as the Arsenal star has been linked to Juventus for a while now. Sanchez is on Juventus’ radar since his days at Udinese, and the Serie A giants still have him on their wishlist.
Tired of London
The Gazzetta says Sanchez is ‘tired of staying in London’ and could be looking for a change in scenery. Arsenal would obviously want to keep one of their best players and it’s very likely the Premier League club will demand at least €42.5 they paid for him to Barcelona.
It is reported the costs involved to sign Sanchez could be a stumbling block for Juventus as the player is on quite high wages at Arsenal. It’s safe to say Gazzetta themselves rule out a move for the Premier League stars due to financial reasons. Arsenal, however, would want Sanchez to sign a contract renewal soon, otherwise. they might be forced to sell him next summer.
Premier League clubs after the new TV deal don’t really need to cash in on their star players, and would rather want to strengthen their existing squads. The arrival of Ronald Koeman could be tempting for Lukaku to stay for another season, whilst Arsenal don’t want to sell Sanchez as they fear a backlash from fans.
There is a chance Juventus could go for a cheaper option as they don’t really need a striker. The Serie A giants already have Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala, and Simone Zaza in their ranks, who could do more than a decent job next season.
