According to Calciomercato, Juventus are interested in Tanguy Ndombele and are considering exchanging a player to sweeten the deal. Inter Milan are still keen on bringing Ndombele to the Italian capital next season too, so there may be a battle between the two Serie A sides before the transfer window shuts.
The 23-year-old has an uncertain future in North London after a disappointing debut campaign, but Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho can’t agree on what to do with him this summer. One wants him to stay while the other would prefer him sold, but Juventus may need to pay his lofty asking price to land his signature.
Why are Juve after Ndombele?
Calciomercato say the Old Lady are looking for a box-to-box midfielder who can turn over possession. In addition to Ndombele, Juve have been linked with Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, so they have other targets if they can’t land our player.
And while the report suggests a part-exchange deal, there’s no word on which players would be offered to us. Mattia De Sciglio, Merih Demiral, Daniele Rugani spent a lot of last season on the periphery, so might Juve consider offering them out?
That being said, it’s hard to see us accepting any proposal including a player because we spent £54m on Ndombele and will want our money back if he’s granted a departure.
What’s the latest on Inter’s interest?
The Nerazzurri are on the hunt for a central midfielder and have been linked with Brescia’s Sandro Tonali and Barcelona’s Arturo Vidal, but Ndombele is top of their wishlist.
Inter haven’t shied away from signing Premier League players in recent years (Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United, Christian Eriksen from us, Ashley Young from United, Victor Moses from Chelsea and Alexis Sanchez from United), but it remains to be seen how much they’d be willing to pay.
The Serie A giant have only spent more than £42m on one occasion – Lukaku (£66.6m from United) – so they may not offer when we want for Ndombele. Levy has no obligation to accept less money, even if Mourinho wants him gone, so there’s a high possibility he’ll stick around for at least another season.
In other news, here’s why Jose Mourinho’s reunion with Diego Costa at Tottenham won’t happen