Juventus are understood to be still trying to convince Paul Pogba not to leave this summer and join Manchester United in a deal reported to be worth around €120m.
Speculation has been rife in recent weeks that the French international is closing in on a return to Old Trafford, but it remains to be seen whether or not an agreement between the two clubs will be reached.
In the mean time, Sky Sport Italia have claimed that while his agent, Mino Raiola, is trying to convince him to push through a move to United, Juve are looking to persuade him to stay.
With no bid yet accepted by the Bianconeri, negotiations will likely continue until United offer a deal that is deemed satisfactory by the Serie A champions.
However, as they close in on the signing of Gonzalo Higuain themselves, they are only further strengthening their position both in Italy and in Europe.
Juve are said to be looking at convincing Pogba that should he stay and if Higuain signs, the club will be in a strong place to challenge for the Champions League.
Further, given that United will only compete in the Europa League this season, it could be enough to persuade the 23-year-old that he should stay in Turin for at least another year.
Juve don’t have to sell Pogba in order to buy Higuain as they will look to offload various fringe players instead to afford the Argentine striker’s price-tag.
In turn, keeping Pogba and pairing him with ‘Pipita’ along with other summer signings in Dani Alves, Medhi Benatia and Miralem Pjanic, would see the Turin giants considered one of the strongest teams in Europe.
Given the level of speculation and suggestions that Pogba wants a return to United, it’s unlikely he’ll still be a Juve player come the start of the new campaign. However, it’s certainly an intriguing proposal that Juve can make, and it shouldn’t be considered lightly.