The Italian Serie A may be at a standstill at the moment, but the transfer rumour mill continues to churn out some interesting gossip.
Unsurprisingly, most of the rumours involve the reigning champions Juventus, who could have another busy summer up ahead if these reports are to be believed.
The Serie A 2020 odds have Juve as significant favourites to win the title if the league does start up again, and SBOBET will likely have them as massive favourites in 2021 if they can land at least one of the big stars being linked with them.
Juventus target top strikers Harry Kane, Mauro Icardi
Despite having the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s still providing plenty of Serie A 2020 highlights, one of Juventus’ main priorities in the offseason appears to be adding more attacking firepower in the form of a world-class striker.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Inter’s Mauro Icardi are two of the big names who have been linked with the Bianconeri.
There has been much speculation about Kane’s future with Spurs as the early returns on Jose Mourinho’s tenure have not been encouraging. The Spurs and England skipper, who has missed most of the season with a hamstring injury, had 17 goals in 25 appearances this season.
Meanwhile, Icardi is almost surely gone from Inter once he returns from his loan spell at Paris Saint-Germain. The Italian has scored 20 goals in 31 appearances for the French champions.
Aside from Ronaldo, Juve’s forward options include Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain. While Dybala is capable of producing outstanding goals like the one he scored against Inter, he is not the most prolific striker. Meanwhile, Higuain is now 32 years old and is clearly in decline.
Kane or Icardi would be a clear upgrade in terms of pure goalscoring. Although, it remains to be seen how well they can fit in manager Maurizio Sarri’s system alongside Ronaldo.
Juve open to Pjanic exit, eye Aouar as Pogba alternative
Aside from their attack, Juventus could also make some big changes in midfield. A potential reunion with Paul Pogba has long been speculated, and with the French midfielder likely on his way out of Old Trafford in the summer, Juve will likely be in the race to sign him.
To make room for a potential Pogba arrival, Juventus are reportedly “open” to offers for Miralem Pjanic. Despite his dip in form, Pjanic doesn’t appear to be short of suitors, with Paris Saint-Germain rumoured to be among the clubs interested in his services.
But if Juve are unable to seal a deal for Pogba, they may turn to another French midfielder in Houssem Aouar. The 21-year-old, who is one of the most highly rated midfielders in Europe, has nine goals and seven assists this season for Lyon.
Juve’s midfield is quite crowded at the moment. Aside from Pjanic, they also have Blaise Matiudi, Sami Khedira, and Rodrigo Bentancur.
As a result of this congestion, their two free signings from last summer — Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot — have struggled to find consistent playing time, while Emre Can was sent out on loan to Borussia Dortmund.
If Aouar does end up in Turin, he may need to wait his turn before he becomes a team regular.
Chelsea duo Giroud, Emerson could be Serie A-bound
Chelsea could potentially see a couple of their squad players in Olivier Giroud and Emerson head over to Serie A.
Despite Chelsea’s lack of depth at striker, Giroud has struggled to find much playing time under manager Frank Lampard. The 33-year-old has appeared in just 13 matches this season, scoring three goals.
Although he is not as consistent a goalscorer as some people would like, Giroud does provide exceptional ability in terms of his build-up play.
Lazio have been linked with Giroud, who is out of contract with Chelsea at the end of the season. He would provide some much-needed depth behind top scorer Ciro Immobile, Felipe Caicedo, and Joaquin Correa.
Meanwhile, Emerson has split time with Marcos Alonso at left-back. The Italian has made 18 appearances overall this season and has contributed one assist.
Sarri is quite familiar with Emerson during their time together in Chelsea. But with Alex Sandro entrenched as the starting left-back for Juve, it will be a challenge for Emerson to find some consistent minutes.
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