Juventus are reportedly 'very close' to completing the signing of Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.
Massimiliano Allegri is keen to bolster his options in attack after allowing Alvaro Morata to return to parent club Atletico Madrid, following a two-year loan spell in Turin.
Juve are understood to have turned down the option to activate a clause to buy the Spanish striker for £29.7m as they would prefer to negotiate a lower fee with the La Liga outfit.
While a potential swoop for Morata is now considered unlikely, Juve have identified Firmino as another target and have held an interest in the 31-year-old throughout this summer.
According to Corriere dello Sport, the Serie A giants have made a breakthrough in negotiations with the Reds to sign the Brazilian, and they are now edging closer to finalising his transfer to Turin.
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The report adds that Juve have agreed a deal to recruit Firmino – who has just 12 months remaining on his contract at Anfield – for a fee in the region of €22m (£19m).
Firmino has allegedly welcomed the interest from Juve as he feels that he has fallen down the pecking order under Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, following the big-money arrival of Darwin Nunez.
The former Hoffenheim attacker is seeking regular first-team football to give himself the best possible chance of representing Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and becoming a regular under head coach Tite.
Since joining Liverpool back in June 2015 – four months before the arrival of Klopp as manager – Firmino has made 327 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 98 goals and registering 74 assists.
The forward endured an injury-hit 2021-22 campaign and started only 10 of his 20 Premier League matches, although he still managed to contribute with five goals and four assists.
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Firmino also notched up five goals in seven Champions League appearances, but missed both semi-final clashes with Villarreal due to injury and came on for a cameo substitute appearance in the 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid in the final.
The Brazilian is not the only forward who Juventus are targeting this summer, as Chelsea's Timo Werner and Manchester United's Anthony Martial are also believed to be on their radar.
A recent report claims that Werner is likely to leave Stamford Bridge this summer as the 26-year-old – like Firmino – is keen to play regularly ahead of the World Cup later this year.
Martial, meanwhile, has been a target for Juve since January, but now that the Frenchman has returned to Old Trafford from a brief loan spell with Sevilla, Erik ten Hag intends to integrate the forward into his first-team plans for the new season.
Juve have made five signings so far this summer, with Federico Chiesa joining the club on a permanent basis from Fiorentina, while Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Bremer and Andrea Cambiaso have also arrived.
Oliver Thomas
