Juventus pass master Miralem Pjanic has emerged as a transfer target for new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Italian newspaper reports on their website that the 28-year-old midfielder is on a wishlist of transfer targets submitted by Sarri to Blues’ owner Roman Abramovich.
Agent Fali Ramdani and the Bosnia and Herzigovina international have had a meeting on Wednesday (18 July), where the possibility of a transfer to West London was apparently mentioned. He also has admirers in the shape of Manchester City, with manager Pep Guardiola calling Pjanic personally in an attempt to lure him to the Etihad.
Good move for Chelsea?
Yes, possibly. The Blues have an abundance of attacking midfield players, but lack the presence of a central midfielder, where only Cesc Fabregas springs to mind.
The 5″9 (source: Transfermarkt) midfielder netted seven goals and laid on a further 14 assists in all competitions for European giants Juventus, which is a promising statistic for a player that operates in the middle of the park.
He is also able to play as a defensive midfielder as well, demonstrating his versatility to Sarri.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
Yes, it is likely. The fact that a meeting has been held between Ramadani and Pjanic is extremely promising and a swoop by the Stamford Bridge outfit looks to be in the works if they were discussing a move.
However, Chelsea face competition from Manchester City, who are just an attractive prospect for Pjanic as they think they are.
It will remain to be seen what club Pjanic ends up moving to, if any – and Manchester City will not be keen to lose out to their bitter rivals once again.
This is Futbol rating: 6/10