Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly leading the race to sign Juventus’ Italian central defender Daniele Rugani.
According to Il BiancoNero, as cited by Sport Witness, the Old Gold are keen on acquiring the services of the defender and look as though they are in pole position to do so.
Reportedly, Rugani has slipped down the pecking order at the Allianz Stadium and that is, in part, due to ‘errors in the defensive phase’ for the Old Lady.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo is not alone in his supposed pursuit of the 25-year-old centre-back.
As stated by Il BiancoNero, Zenit are interested alongside the Molineux outfit and other interested clubs ‘are not lacking’.
The defender currently has four years left on his contract with Juventus and a market value of £10.8m, according to Transfermarkt.
TIF Thoughts…
Judging Rugani off this season alone, it would seem that the defender would be a poor acquisition for the Old Gold.
The Italian has made just seven appearances in Serie A this season and has delivered uninspiring performances as he has picked up a weak 6.46/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
Had the 25-year-old centre-back earned the same average rating for Wolves in the Premier League this term, he would have been their fifth-worst performer (per WhoScored).
Would you be pleased if Wolves signed Daniele Rugani from Juventus?
Yes, he'd be a good signing
No, he's not good enough
In comparison with Wolves’ French centre-back Willy Boly, Rugani looks even more suspect as he has performed poorly in key defensive areas.
This season, Rugani made 0.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per league match, whereas Boly has delivered far higher totals with 2.4 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game.
So, it would seem that the Old Gold should perhaps steer clear of trying to seal the arrival of Rugani from Juventus.