Juventus have reportedly stepped up their interest in Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie by submitting a €25m bid for the talented teenager.
The 19-year-old has made 14 appearances for La Dea so far this season, scoring six goals and providing two assists while his overall impressive performances have unsurprisingly attracted interest from around Europe.
However, according to Goal, Juve have made the first move by making a bid of around €25m to try and prise the youngster away from their Serie A rivals.
It’s added in the report that both Arsenal and Chelsea have been credited with an interest in the midfielder previously, and so if they do indeed harbour a desire to sign him, they will have to act quickly in order to rival Juve for his signature.
Given that Massimiliano Allegri has seen a once dominant midfield ripped apart by transfers and with injuries a concern for the Italian tactician, it’s no surprise to see the Bianconeri linked with a player like Kessie who can provide some much-needed presence in the middle of the pitch.
As for the two English clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea continue to look at ways to bolster their respective squads where possible with one eye on maintaining their current momentum as they battle it out for the Premier League title.
Goal add that Juve are in discussions with Atalanta and their offer is just short of the valuation that the latter has put on Kessie.
Nevertheless, with a few more weeks to go before the January transfer window opens for business, they have plenty of time to negotiate and so Arsenal and Chelsea will want to swoop sooner rather than later in order to provide competition.