Juventus eyeing up Ramsey
It was only last week that Aaron Ramsey was being tipped to follow Ivan Gazidis to AC Milan but now come claims that the Arsenal midfielder is being courted by Juventus.
However, there is a catch, according to the Daily Star, citing Italian media reports - Juve will only make their move on Ramsey “if his wage demands are reasonable and his agent’s cut of the deal is not too high”.
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Tough negotiations
Juventus are said to be willing to sit down with Ramsey’s representatives in the hope of thrashing out a deal, but will be maintaining a hard-nosed attitude.
The Italian champions have learned their lesson from their experience with Emre Can, who arrived in Turin this summer on a free transfer from Liverpool.
The Star says that Juventus “were stung” in that transfer, with Can pocketing an annual salary of €6m (£5.4m) while his agents “reportedly bagged €16m (£14.3m) for brokering the switch”.
Juve are determined they won’t be forced into making such an outlay again - hence their ultimatum to Ramsey.
The 27-year-old is believed to be tempted by the prospect of joining the club, but is also weighing up offers from AC Milan, Lazio, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Gunners pursue Pepe
Arsenal and Manchester United have both decided to make a play for Nicolas Pepe in January, reports talkSPORT, which claims that the two sides “will go head-to-head in the race to snap up” the Lille star.
The 23-year-old winger has scored four goals and collected three assists in the first six league games, and that’s convinced both United and Arsenal that he has what it takes to make it in the Premier League.
According to talkSPORT, Pepe has “admitted he would be open to a potential move”, and French media reports that the two clubs will table offers for the Ivory Coast international in January.
Unai Emery and Jose Mourinho are both “confident of thrashing out a deal for the in-demand Lille star”, it is claimed.