According to reports from The Independent, Arsenal and Manchester United are ‘eyeing January moves’ for Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.
The 21-year-old centre-back spent the last two seasons on loan at former club Empoli, featuring in every minute of their 2014/15 league campaign to help secure a 15th place finish in Serie A, before returning to Turin Stadium during the summer.
But he’s struggled to force his way into Massimo Allegri’s first team plans and so far seen just a minutes’ worth of action at senior level – a stoppage time outing from the bench during Juve’s 2-0 Champions League win over Sevilla in September.
Arsenal and Manchester United’s interest in the Italy U21 has been well-documented for some time, with the Gunners reportedly seeing a £13million bid rejected during the summer transfer window.
But the significance of The Independent’s report is that it suggests the Premier League duo could launch bids for Rugani in January, rather than simply mentioning their sustained interest. Previously, a loan within the realms of Serie A appeared to be the likeliest scenario if Rugani were to move on in the coming transfer window.
However, Arsenal and Manchester United still face competition from Italian outfit Napoli. Former Empoli boss Maurizio Sarri is now in charge at Stadio San Paolo and prepared to pay €18million to be reunited with Rugani.