Juventus News Roundup: Juve chief makes Paul Pogba transfer admission, 3 English Championship clubs in race for Bianconeri midfielder and more: 9 December 2020
Juventus registered a thumping 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Camp Nou to go top of their UEFA Champions League group. The win has instilled a good feeling in the players and the supporters and things are looking up for once under new manager Andrea Pirlo.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Juventus from 9 December 2020.
Cristiano Ronaldo discusses relationship with Messi following win
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed in the post-match interview that he shares a cordial relationship with Lionel Messi and that he hasn't seen him as a rival. Ronaldo scored twice from the spot as Juventus won 3-0 against Messi and co. at the Camp Nou. Speaking after the game, Ronaldo said,
"I never saw him (Messi) as a rival. He always tried the best for his team and I tried the best for mine. I always got on well with him. I am sure he will say the same if you ask him. I have always had a cordial relationship with him.
"As I have said before, for 12, 13, 14 years [I have been] sharing prizes with him. But we know in football people always look for a rivalry to create more excitement."
Norwich City, Watford and Bournemouth interested in Sami Khedira
Despite Juventus wanting to terminate his contract, Sami Khedira has stayed put in Turin and has reiterated that he wants to see out his contract at the club. He is currently in the final months of his contract and will be available as a free agent next summer.
Now, as per Calciomercato, three English championship sides have registered an interest in the German international. Norwich City, Watford and Bournemouth are the three sides. All three teams were relegated from the Premier League last season and are looking to earn promotion right away.
The three sides are interested in bringing him in January and though Khedira might be tempted to wait for a top-flight club, fighting for promotion with a Championship side and then coming to the Premier League wouldn't be a bad experience at all.
Juventus chief Paratici talks about potential Paul Pogba transfer
Mino Raiola dropped a bombshell a couple of nights back by revealing that it is over for his client, Paul Pogba, at Manchester United. The high-profile agent said that it is in the best interests of both parties to now part ways and it has obviously not gone down well with the club or the supporters.
Raiola also talked about a potential return to Juventus for Pogba. Now Juventus chief Fabio Paratici has had his say on the issue. He told Sport Mediaset,
'Pogba back to Juve? We love Paul, he's an amazing player but he's playing for Manchester United now. He'll not be a free agent, you've to pay if you want to sign Pogba. We know so well the value of Paul Pogba. We also know his price, so we will see what happens.'
According to ESPN, Manchester United do not believe that neither Real Madrid nor Juventus are in a place where they can shell out big bucks for Paul Pogba. Manchester United are in a much more stable financial state compared to Juventus and Real Madrid and will not slash their asking price for Pogba.
They are aware that clubs are likely to offer a player + cash deal for the Frenchman. However, the report claims that the Red Devils won't accept a swap deal unless the player offered is someone who is on the recruitment department's list of targets.