Serie A Transfer Roundup: Cristiano Ronaldo tells James Rodriguez to join him at Juventus, Juve table club record bid for Pogba and more, 18 June 2019
Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As we head even closer to the summer transfer market, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.
Chelsea agree to extend Pasalic loan
After the departure of Eden Hazard, Chelsea are now set to lose another player for next season. As per reports from Italy, the Blues have agreed to extend Mario Pasalic's loan to Atalanta. The loan extension, however, will see Pasalic's €15 million buyout option removed.
The former AC Milan player showed promising display for Piero Gasperini's side in the last campaign, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists. He also became a key part of Atalanta's success in securing Champions League football.
The 24-year-old has been a Chelsea player since 2014, but he had gone on loan to various clubs such as Elche, Monaco, Milan, Spartak Moscow and Atalanta.
Juventus table gigantic bid for Paul Pogba
The Frenchman has made a lot of headlines following his intention to look for a new challenge. Critics have relentlessly slammed his recent displays, as the midfielder scored just 2 goals in his last 15 matches for Manchester United. Juventus, however, remain keen on the superstar and want to bring him back to Turin.
The Old Lady have appointed Maurizio Sarri as their new manager, and their desire to win the Champions League is still there. The Serie A champion suffered second successive quarter-final defeat, despite the Italian outfits splashing a club-record fee for Cristiano Ronaldo. Thus, the club might want to bring in a major name once more to achieve the objective.
According to a report, Juventus are willing to pay a massive €100 million for Pogba. If the deal materializes, the 26-year-old will become Juventus's joint-most expensive player. Pogba had claimed 4 consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus before joining United in 2016.
Cristiano Ronaldo calls James Rodriguez to join Juventus
Real Madrid might have prepared for a squad overhaul following recent transfer frenzy. The Los Blancos are estimated to have splashed more than €300 million to bring in Ferland Mendy, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes. Thus, they will need to sell several players to balance the books.
According to former Bayern player Lothar Matthaus, Cristiano Ronaldo has told the Colombian midfielder to join Juventus.
"We [himself and Rodriguez] had a conversation two weeks ago, during the celebration of Bayern’s Bundesliga win.
“I see him at Juventus.
“He is very close to Cristiano Ronaldo and told me that he was in contact with him and that he has told him that he wants to have him at Juventus.
“I understand why as James can serve Ronaldo so that he can score and the two of them can shine,” he concluded.