Top Five: Manchester United midfield targets instead of Thiago Alcantara

Claudio Marchisio – Juventus

Claudio Marchisio

Scout Report For all the praise for Andrea Pirlo, it’s Marchisio and Vidal that really make the Old Lady tick. Where Vidal offers goal threat and boundless running, Marchisio offers passion, drive to win, organisation and frenetic work rate. The Juventus pressing scheme is reliant on his lead. He closes hard and fast and disrupts the opposition. His protection of a good Juventus defence is one of the key reasons for their recent dominance. He is a true leader, able to drag the team on his back and get the best out of those around him.

How much? Juventus had said they don’t want to sell, as they have with Vidal. They’d probably rather sell the Chilean than Marchisio because although Vidal is a superior player, Marchisio represents so much about the club’s renaissance lately that selling him would be hard. However, if United upped Monaco’s apparent £25m it would give Juventus a hard decision to make.