Juventus have apparently been offered Toni Kroos in exchange for Miralem Pjanic. But the club is not convinced of the swap deal between the two midfielders: they see Pjanic as having more market value, so would insist on receiving a fee for him as well as the German midfielder, and Kroos also earns more considerably more than the Bosnian does at Juve, so that could present another obstacle to this deal.

The greatest innovation, at times, is tradition. And so, in a market that has now broken the taboo of three-digit transfer fees, the ancient art of bartering is still in place. The latest example of this comes directly from Spain. From Madrid, Zidane and the Madrid hierarchy seem to be increasingly set on signing Juventus’ Bosnian playmaker, and replacing him with Kroos who is the same age and position. Zidane is keen to revolutionize the Madrid squad in a quest to restore them to the power that they were seen as around Europe last season, after the disappointments of this campaign. However Juventus are far from convinced on the deal, and it seems to be a long way from reaching its conclusion.