Juventus are eyeing a move for Manchester United right-back Matteo Darmian in the January transfer window
Italian champions Juventus are considering the possibility of signing Manchester United full-back in the January transfer window, as per reports from Tribal Football.
The 28-year old Darmian has found game time come at a premium this season with the 20-time English champions and Juventus are looking to capitalize on his situation by offering a way out of the Old Trafford in the winter.
Juventus are preparing for the departure of right-back Stephan Lichsteiner in the summer. The Switzerland international is in the final year of his deal with the Bianconeri and they have decided not to offer an extension.
And, with left-back Alex Sandro also likely to quit the club in the near future, Massimiliano Allegri’s side are looking for reinforcements and see Darmian is a more than a viable option.
They will, however, have to face competition from fellow Serie A side AS Roma, who also are strongly interested in signing the Italy international.
Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian is a Juventus transfer target. The Italian full-back is expected to be sold either this month or in the summer. (Source: Di Marzio) pic.twitter.com/o6YomyJnnz
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 6, 2018
Darmian joined Manchester United from Italian side Torino in the summer of 2015, signed by then manager Louis van Gaal. He had a solid debut campaign, when he went on to establish himself as a regular in the first team.
However, things haven’t worked out all that great for the defender since Jose Mourinho was appointed manager in the summer of 2016.
Since Jose taking over at the club, Darmian has found himself behind Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in the pecking order. And now, summer signing Victor Lindelof too has overtaken him in the order of preference at right-back for Manchester United.
Mourinho has been using the 28-year old as a left-back, but given Luke Shaw’s resurgence of late and the likes of Young, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind all available to fill in, opportunities in this avenue too look slim for Darmian.
In the 2017/18 campaign, Darmian has made just 11 appearances across all competitions, registering a single assist.
Manchester United, on their part, are unlikely to sell the 28-year old midway through the season. The Italian’s agent, Tullio Tinti, also recently refuted claims of a January move for his client, stating that Darmian was not up for sale at the moment.
However, a chance to return to his homeland with Juventus could tempt the full-back to try and force through a move. Joining Juve though, could turn out to be a bit of a controversial move for Darmian, given his history with Torino, the Old Lady’s local rivals.
