Napoli and Juve eye Real Madrid midfielder, Juventus' €200M target reveals stance on future and more Serie A news: 23 March 2019

Hello and welcome to the Serie A news and rumours of the day! As usual, there are some of the hottest rumours that have been waiting to be seen. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories of the day surrounding the Italian league.

Sporting Director speaks Benfica's stance over Joao Felix and Juventus-linked Ruben Dias

SL Benfica Sporting Director and former AC Milan number 10 Manuel Rui Costa had been talking about 2 emerging talents from the Portuguese outfit. The 2 stars are €120 million sensation Joao Felix and defender Ruben Dias who both have been linked with a move to Juventus.

Joao Felix, a 1999-born trequartista, considered Rui Costa’s heir: "Someone called him my heir. Or the new Kaka. The truth is that Felix is only Felix. He has an extraordinary sense of play and he has a rare ability, he can guess what will happen in front of the goal.

He is a modern number 10, a second striker with a remarkable sense of goal, he scored 10 goals in the league. €120m release clause? We will try to keep him as long as possible, this applies to Felix as to all the others. This is the club's policy, then we will see why we are aware that the clauses exist and that certain players cannot be held back indefinitely in Portugal," he said.

On Ruben Dias – He then went on to speak about the central defender, also linked to Juventus: "If he goes away I don't know: we would like to keep him still and Ruben knows that here we would have a lot of attention. The club has needed to sell to make cash. We will see how the summer market will develop," he concluded.

Raphael Varane reveals stance on future

Club Atletico de Madrid v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Raphael Varane has finally revealed the position over his future. The World Cup-winning defender has been linked with several European giants including Juventus due to the uncertainty of his future at the Bernabeu. However, the 25 years old refused to be drawn on the surrounding speculations.

"I don't want to talk about my future. It is not my habit to comment on the transfer market and talk of my future. Zidane? There is great respect for him in the dressing room, he never has to raise his voice," he said.

Real Madrid has slapped a mind-blowing €200 million release clause on the defender. The Frenchman has been an undisputed number 1 on the heart of Los Blancos's defence alongside Sergio Ramos. Juventus, on the other hand, need a fresh and quality centre-back to serve as a long term replacement for Giorgio Chiellini.

Casemiro to make a shock move to Napoli

A report from Italy states that Real Madrid are willing to put Casemiro on the transfer market with Napoli as a potential suitor. Casemiro has been Real Madrid's undisputed midfielder in recent years. However, the Brazilian has never been linked to Napoli previously.

The Italian giant has appointed former Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti following the departure of Maurizio Sarri to Chelsea. Ancelotti had considerable working experience with Casemiro at the Bernabeu, particularly at 2013/14 season before the 27 years old being loaned to FC Porto.

The report also states that Marcelo is also a possible target to Napoli but, the defender has deemed too old by the Italian giant. Hence, Casemiro is the player who interests them the most. Madrid has slapped a €200 million release clause for the player.

However, Napoli has a close relationship with the Los Blancos following the transfers of Jose Callejon, Gonzalo Higuain, and Raul Albiol. Hence, the Italian giant could use the connection to negotiate and lowering down the price.

Edited by Aaditya Narayan