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Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.
Marcelo still wants to join Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid left-back Marcelo still has the desire to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo once more, according to a report. The Brazilian defender has been heavily linked with a move to Juventus recently. His Real Madrid departure seemed imminent when former manager Santiago Solari opted to play Sergio Reguilon instead of him.
However, after Madrid decideded to re-appoint Zinedine Zidane, Marcelo's fate has turned 180 degrees since. The 30-year-old has featured regularly and has bagged 2 assists since Zidane took charge. It is understandable that the French manager wants him to stay.
Despite Marcelo's current situation, Juventus could still rope in the defender if Los Blancos are willing to put the star in the market. Real Madrid value the Brazilian in the region of €50-60 million. Hence, Juventus would need to sell Alex Sandro to meet Madrid's asking price.
Dybala to take pay-cut to join Real Madrid
Paulo Dybala could have his wage lowered to be eligible to join Real Madrid, according to a report. The Argentinian playmaker has heavily been touted to move away from Juventus since Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival.
The Portuguese superstar's presence at Juventus seems to have affected his performance a lot as the former Palermo star has experienced a considerable decrease in productivity this campaign as compared to last season. Real Madrid could be his suitable escape route, with Los Blancos still searching for Ronalodo's replacement.
However, Florentino Perez has asked the 25-year-old to lower his salary if he wants to join Real Madrid. The report states that Perez wants him to be paid at the same level as Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric or Toni Kroos.
Dybala would also need to convince Zidane as the Frenchman currently doesn't consider him a world-class star. Juventus have slapped a massive €120 million price-tag for the star and Real Madrid might not willing to pay such a high sum for him.
Torino President cannot afford to lose his director to AS Roma
Torino President Urbano Cairo has warned AS Roma over the pursuit of Gianluca Petrachi. The Torino director has been the leading candidate to fill AS Roma's sporting director position, following Monchi's departure.
Cairo told MC Sport,
“I hope Petrachi isn’t talking to Roma, it wouldn’t be right.
“That alone would be bad because the Giallorossi are is fighting with us for a place in Europe. It would be really unpleasant.
“Contact would be a conflict of interest. How could Torino’s DS talk to a rival? I don’t want to believe it. I hope these rumours aren’t true.
“Petrachi has a contract with us, he’s our DS and he should be with us for another season.”
Torino are currently seventh in the Serie A table with 53 points from 33 outings, just two points and a place adrift of Roma.
