In-form Juventus have identified a trio of candidates to reinforce the clubโs ranks in the middle of the park ahead of the 2nd-half of the season.
Thatโs according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, who, in a fresh report on Thursday, have provided an insight into the plans of the transfer team at the Allianz Stadium.
The Bianconeri are on the lookout for new faces in midfield, owing to the respective suspensions handed down to Paul Pogba, and Nicolo Fagioli.
And, amid recent links with a whole host of names from across the continent, Massimiliano Allegri and co. appear to have narrowed their search to three key targets โ Lazar Samardzic, Rodrigo De Paul, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
The favoured option at present is understood to be De Paul, owing both to his familiarity with Serie A, and affordable wages. The World Cup winner himself, however, is happy in Madrid, making a move a tricky one to pull off.
Turning to Hojbjerg, the Dane is certainly more open to the prospect of a winter transfer, having fallen down the midfield pecking order at Tottenham Hotspur. With Juventus keen to add a more โtraditionalโ presence to Allegriโs engine room ranks, though, Hojbjergโs deep-lying characteristics could yet see him overlooked.
This leads us to the Old Ladyโs final target โ Samardzic. Serbian international Samardzic was widely expected to join Inter Milan during the summer, only to see his San Siro switch collapse at the last minute. With the 21-year-old still keen to make the step up to a top club, though, Juve are ready to pounce, with the clubโs excellent relations with their Udinese counterparts making a โฌ30 million January transfer a real possibility.
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Conor Laird | GIFN
