Juventus have moved to take advantage of the failure of their counterparts at Milan to close a deal for Serbian sensation Matija Popovic.
The name of Popovic has of course emerged as a central one in the Italian media across the week to date. This comes after the 18-year-old – available as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Partizan Belgrade – flew out to Milan to put pen to paper on terms with the Rossoneri.
Despite a five-year contract offer having been on the table, though, at the last, the deal reached an impasse.
This came owing to the point-blank refusal of the San Siro hierarchy to meet the agent fees demanded by Popovic’s representatives.
And this, it would appear, has in turn opened the door for Juventus.
As confirmed by Bianconeri insider Romeo Agresti on Wednesday evening, Cristiano Giuntoli and co. have made first contact with Popovic’s camp. As much came initially to gather details of the reasoning behind the breakdown of talks with Milan, but was soon followed by discussions surrounding the potential arrival of the midfielder in Turin.
It remains to be seen whether anything comes of the talks, with Milan not yet out of the equation entirely, and Manchester City continuing to monitor the situation.
But Juventus should now be considered legitimate contenders to bring in Popovic before the month is out.
Conor Laird | GIFN
