Juventus News Roundup: Juve identify Paul Pogba alternative, Liverpool's bid for Bianconeri defender was rejected and more- 3 February 2021
Juventus could miss out on signing Paul Pogba from Manchester United and have now formulated a 'Plan B'.
Though Juventus were expected to throw some cash around in the recently concluded January transfer window, they didn't get up to much. Andrea Pirlo's side has looked much better in the past few weeks than they have all season and their win over Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final will greatly improve the team's morale.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Juventus from 3 February 2021.
Andrea Pirlo defends substituting Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has defended his decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo off in the 77th minute of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter Milan last night. Ronaldo scored both of Juventus' goals after Lautaro Martinez had put the Nerazzurri ahead in the 9th minute of the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo did not seem happy to have been taken off but Andrea Pirlo defended his decision to the press in his post-match interview. Pirlo told Rai Sport:
“It’s normal that when you go out in a match like this you want to play to help the team. There is no contract clause that says he can't be subbed off. He knows he is a fundamental player for us but to get his breath back, he must always be at the top.
“He proved it with his performances after some criticism. He couldn’t have done better than that. I said [to him] that he had to rest, we have an important match on Saturday. He has played many consecutive games, every now and then a little rest is good for him.”
Liverpool's big money bid for Merih Demiral was rejected in January
According to Sport MediaSet, Liverpool's big money move for defender Merih Demiral was rejected by Juventus in January. The Merseysiders eventually brought in Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies as reinforcements to their backline.
However, Jurgen Klopp had Merih Demiral up there on his wishlist. The report claims that Liverpool had made a 'monster' bid for Demiral but the Bianconeri refused to budge. Jurgen Klopp and co. didn't hesitate to move on either as they really needed to sign players to bolster their defence.
Juventus identify Houssem Aouar as Paul Pogba alternative
Juventus remain keen on bringing Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba back to the club. However, as per Calciomercato, they have now come up with a 'Plan B' in case things don't work out their way. If their pursuit of Paul Pogba does not bear fruit, then the Bianconeri will look to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.
Paul Pogba is still tipped to leave the Red Devils inside the next year. However, after extending his contract by a year, Manchester United have placed themselves in a good position to strike a lucrative deal for the Frenchman in the summer.
Juventus are not in the best state in a financial sense and therefore, they might need to stick to striking economical deals in the summer.