Juventus update: Who is staying and who is going in midfield?
What is the situation with Juventus' midfield? With summer approaching, Bianconeri fans the world over hope that the four-time (soon to be five, in all likelihood) Serie A champions are able to maintain as much quality in midfield to keep competing in Europe. With the Paul Pogba dossier likely to evolve into a summer tormentone, we go through every member of the Old Lady's midfield, and assess each player's current status.
The Pogba situation
Despite Juventus' best efforts to make Paul Pogba unaffordable, it is increasingly unlikely that the French superstar will remain in Turin past the summer. Attracted by legendary clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, or by the sheer spending power of the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, it may be hard for Juventus to resist after a strong showing at Euro 2016.
All the Bianconeri can do is plan their summer spending according to an eventual Pogboom departure. The names of Edinson Cavani, Ilkay Gundogan and Mario Gotze have been repeatedly linked to the Turinese side, and could become reality if the club finds itself awash with cash.
Who is staying?
The only untouchables are likely to be Claudio Marchisio, who simply has 'club legend' written all over him despite repeated interest from Manchester United and Barcelona. Sami Khedira, for his part, wants to start on a regular basis, unimpeded by injuries. Imagine an entire season of what we have seen so far.
Stefano Sturaro is also seen as part of the club's future, despite interest from the Premier League, Crystal Palace notoriously making an €18 million offer for his services in January. The same goes for Roberto Pereyra and Kwadwo Asamoah: despite their injury concerns, they're seen as valid alternatives. Their permanence will obviously depend on their ability to stay fit.
Who is in doubt?
Mario Lemina's stay, on the other hand, is considered doubtful. His entire season has been compromised by a tendon inflammation. Though we've seen flashes from him - a late goal against Napoli, a brilliant effort against Atalanta- the Frenchman is not seen as being worth the €9m buyback clause (though a lower sum could be acceptable), which is why Juventus will likely ask Marseille for a second loan, but will have to wait as the Ligue 1 club is going through a potential makeover right now, with manager Michel out the door and Chairman Alexandre Labrune increasinly unpopular.
The Hernanes issue could drag on this summer. He cost Juventus €13 million (including bonuses), has struggled to settle, and doesn't want to leave Italy. The only big offers so far are coming from China, probably the only league willing to match his €2.7 million-a-year salary.
Juventus will try to convince him to move, a story we broke yesterday, with Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai SIPG both gunning for The Prophet. One player who is unlikely to stay if an offer comes in is Simone Padoin, despite renewing with the Old Lady until 2017.
The final obstacle is Juan Cuadrado, someone Juventus would actually like to keep, but who is very likely to be a part of incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's plans. Remember when Conte was still Juventus manager, and really wanted Juan Iturbe and Cuadrado? He went to bat for them during his last season, and their moves elsewhere may have been part of the reason behind his departure.
@NicolaBalice, translated by @EdoDalmonte
