Juventus dealt a major blow in pursuit of star striker - Reports

Juventus target Arkadiusz Milik is reportedly considering extending his stay at Marseille, where he is currently on loan from Napoli.

According to reports from La Nuova Sardegna via Tuttojuve, Milik is happy in France and wants to play for Marseille for the upcoming season.

Juventus have been long-term admirers of the Polish striker and were keen to land him this summer as well.

Arkadiusz Milik's change in fortunes

Milik had a tough start to the 2020-21 season. He was frozen out of the Napoli team last year after refusing to sign an extension on his contract, which is due to expire after the 2021-22 season.

The Italian side left him out of their Serie A and UEFA Europa League squads and Milik missed out on first-team football for six months. His escape route came in the January transfer window, when the Polish striker was loaned out to Ligue 1 side Marseille.

The 27-year-old scored 10 goals in 16 games across all competitions for the French side in the second half of the season. His bright start to life in France saw the interest of recruiters resurface, with Juventus now keen to bring him back to Serie A.

Milik was an important player Napoli before his contract conundrum last season

What is Milik's current situation?

The Polish striker is currently in the middle of an 18-month long loan deal with Marseille, who also have an obligation to buy him at the end of it.

However, his good form has attracted interest from bigger clubs, namely Juventus. It now depends on Napoli and Milik to decide on the player's future.

According to reports, Milik is happy at Marseille and wants to continue to play there for the upcoming season. The news came as a major blow to Juventus.

As soon as I arrived here I immediately understood how important this club and this shirt was. The Europe League qualification is a good goal, I always tried to give my best. I want to thank my teammates, clubs and above all the fans who made me feel at home. Allez OM pic.twitter.com/bM5c5pcDUg

— Arkadiusz Milik (@arekmilik9) May 24, 2021

Why does Juventus want Milik?

Juventus are currently in the market for a new striker. Aside from Cristiano Ronaldo, the other forwards fared poorly in front of goal last season.

👏 @Cristiano 👏@SerieA top scorer ➡️ #EURO2020 top scorer! 🔝 pic.twitter.com/zf11LbOgx7

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 12, 2021

Juventus are therefore looking for other options in the market and Milik has come up as one of their possible summer targets.

It is being reported that Juventus believe Milik is familiar with Serie A and hence will not take long to re-adapt to the game in Italy. Moreover, Milik has a tall, physical presence in front of goal and can ideally play the role of a target man.

Making a move for Milik does make sense for Juventus, but is likely to prove difficult to bring to life according to the latest developments. However, with more than six weeks to go before the market shuts, Juventus should be able to identify a replacement target for Milik.