Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic has officially requested AS Roma to activate his release clause in order for him to complete his move to Juventus.
Miralem Pjanic’s media manager has confirmed the intention of his client to join Juventus this summer as the Italian champions are ready to activate his release clause. According to a report in Football Italia, Juventus have activated the €38m release clause and the deal will be closed in a few days. AS Roma director Mauro Baldissoni confirmed that the player has written to the club asking for a transfer.
“With this note I inform you that I intend to activate my right to be transferred to another club, as agreed beforehand,” read the Bosnia & Herzegovina international’s statement. “I also tell you my intention to send the 20 per cent of my share of the transfer fee directly to the club that will buy my contract, which I specifically inform you is Juventus.
“I thank you and urge you to make contact to finalize the necessary contractual formalities.”
Baldissoni then continued on to say that AS Roma had no say in this scenario as Pjanic made his decision as soon as he was approached by officials from Juventus. The Roma director had to make a public statement after it was rumoured that AS Roma first approached Juventus for the transfer.
The news comes as a major blow to Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea, who have both been linked with the midfielder this summer. Both teams are looking to rebuild after disappointing seasons, and the addition of a player of Pjanic’s technical ability in central midfield would have been greatly beneficial to both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Pjanic to strengthen the Italian champions
Juventus have made the move for the 26-year-old Bosnian to add creativity from deeper positions in midfield. Pjanic had a very impressive 2015-16, as he featured 41 times for Roma and scored 12 times — the highest goal tally of his career. However, he was unable to win any silverware in his five seasons with Roma, and he will now aim to win titles both domestically and in Europe with Juventus.
The Juventus midfield will also be bolstered by this signing as they could possibly find themselves without their star midfielder Paul Pogba in the near future. As Juventus look to make a mark on the European stage, the absence of Pogba, who is likely to leave for a big club in Europe in the coming seasons, could be very damaging. The signing of Pjanic would go some way towards softening the blow, if and when it does come.
