Juventus and Barcelona are set to join hands to pull off yet another sensational swap deal this summer.
Juventus have come under the scanner recently after their untimely exit from the UEFA Champions League. The club is preparing ahead of the summer transfer window where they could see a squad overhaul as manager Andrea Pirlo remains keen to bolster his side.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Juventus from 18 March 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo accused of controlling Juventus dressing room
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates have been accused of controlling the Juventus dressing room by former Torino player Pasquale Bruno. Bruno criticized the Bianconeri for changing managers so frequently, resulting in the players having a lot of power in the dressing room.
Speaking to TikiTaka, Pasquale Bruno said (via Football Italia):
“They have an embarrassing team. Bonucci and Chiellini seem like two phenomena, but they won nine titles in the fourth league in the world. They beat a finished Barcelona side, and the day after, papers wrote they were the team to beat. Come on.”
“The management is messing everything up. They sacked Allegri to hire Sarri, but he was also fired after only one season because Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates rule the Juventus dressing room."
He added:
“One has the feeling, players can have their say, but it’s not nice. They are not the ones who must make decisions.”
Juventus looking to sell Ramsey to fund Manuel Locatelli transfer
Juventus have for long been linked with promising Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli. According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Football Italia), the Bianconeri are looking to free up their wage bill in order to make room for the 23-year-old.
Aaron Ramsey is the player that the Bianconeri are looking to axe in order to free up funds to facilitate Manuel Locatelli's transfer. The Welshman has had several bouts with injury already in his time in Turin.
Juventus are hoping to sign Manuel Locatelli for a sum in the ballpark of €40 million and they will look to sell Aaron Ramsey this summer with him being linked with a return to the Premier League.
Juventus to swap Paulo Dybala for Antoine Griezmann
Italian publication Calciomercato claims that Juventus and Barcelona are preparing to pull off yet another sensational swap deal. This time, it will involve Paulo Dybala and Antoine Griezmann.
Dybala's current contract with Juventus runs until 2022 and the player and the club haven't been able to see eye-to-eye over the terms of a new contract. They have been looking at Mauro Icardi as a potential replacement for Dybala with the latter being constantly linked with a move away from the club.
However, the report claims that talks with Barcelona over a potential swap deal for Antoine Griezmann are now in the early stages. The report adds that Griezmann will need to take a paycut in order to join Juventus.
Juventus and Barcelona came together for a swap deal last summer with Arthur Melo leaving the Camp Nou to join the Bianconeri and Miralem Pjanic going the other way.