Newcastle United have not launched a bid to sign Juventus midfielder and are unlikely to sign the 25-year-old this summer, according to a reliable journalist.
Chris Waugh, who writes for the Chronicle, was asked in a Q&A session (Wednesday, 15:10) whether there was substance in the links to the Italy international enforcer, replying that the club were not as keen as reported by the Italian press.
Waugh claims that Sturaro is a player that has been on the club radar, but believes that the speculation is being largely driven by the player’s agent and by Juventus, who are looking for a large fee of around £15million.
He then goes on to say that he would be surprised if the Magpies signed Sturaro this summer, with no bid tabled as of yet, contrary to recent claims in the press.
This is a important update on the situation from Waugh, with Calciomercato reporting that the club were on the verge of agreeing a £13.2million fee for the 25-year-old.
OPINION
It will be disappointing for many Newcastle fans to hear that the club are not as interested in Sturaro as suggested in the press, but the reality of the situation is hardly surprising. Firstly, the Italian press are not known to be the most reliable, and there seems to be an effort in place to move Sturaro away from Juventus. His agent and club are said to be driving this speculation, and that is leading to these ever-progressing claims of a deal being close to completion. Moreover, Juventus fans are quite obviously keen to see Sturaro leave the club, and that suggests that the Italy international is not the kind of player that Newcastle will want at St. James’ Park. The thought of an Italy international arriving from Juventus is appealing, but the reality is that Sturaro looks to be a relatively average player who has been lucky in his club career so far. That may be proved wrong if he does come to Tyneside, but fans should not be too downhearted if this one does not come to fruition.
