Paris Saint-Germain have put a €80 million (£68.2m) price tag on Marco Verratti with Juventus and Chelsea competing to sign the midfielder.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport claim that the Serie A champions are ready to make the 24-year-old their marquee signing and are willing to pay the £68.2m PSG are asking for.
Earlier this week, Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta confirmed that the Serie A champions will be in the market for a world-class midfielder next summer.
“In midfield we have some interesting young Italians, and we’re looking for a top player in that role who will be available for next season,” he said.
Last month, reports claimed Antonio Conte had made the signing of Verratti his priority, while Chelsea were confident of landing the Italy international for under £40m.
But a deal for Verratti in the summer window will be difficult for both Juventus and Chelsea as the midfielder’s current contract expires in 2021.
Since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left PSG for Manchester United on a free transfer last summer, Verratti has become the capital club’s most important player on and off the pitch.
Although he’s spent the majority of this season recovering from a groyne surgery suffered in mid-2016, the Azzurri star is now starting to rediscover his brilliant best form.
If Verratti does try to force a move away from Paris at the end of this campaign, he might have little to base his argument on.
Throwing a potential poor season in PSG’s face will not necessarily earn his departure when his struggle to recapture his best form has been one of many contributing factors towards a forgettable first half of the term.
Despite a poor start to the season by all accounts, not to mention the notable departure of the previously talismanic Ibrahimovic, the Ligue 1 giants remain a talented side with the potential to play much, much better than they have been under coach Unai Emery so far.
If key footballers like Verratti and the woefully out of sorts Angel Di Maria can start to hit their stride in the second half of the campaign, PSG will immediately improve and show they are still a club worthy of a player as talented as the former Pescara man.