Barcelona are bracing themselves for a bid from Juventus for Juan Miranda, with the Serie A giants readying a €10 million offer for the Spaniard.
According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, Juan Miranda is high on the Juventus agenda. Fabio Paratici, Sporting Director of the Serie A giants, has reportedly flown to Spain to negotiate a deal to bring Juan Miranda to Italy, with a €10 million bid doing the rounds.
Juventus have reinforced their squad to a great extent, bringing in the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Danilo and have even brought back Gianluigi Buffon. The defending Serie A champions now have quality and depth in their squad. But, one area where depth is lacking is the left-back area.
Alex Sandro is the only player available to Maurizio Sarri for the position. And while, Danilo is able to deputise as a left-back, Sarri would ideally want to have 4 options for the two full-back spots combined before the season starts. But, the trick is to bring someone in who will be comfortable playing second fiddle to Alex Sandro and in due time, be ready to replace the Brazilian.
This is where Juan Miranda comes in. The 19-year-old managed to break into the Barcelona first-team setup in the 2018-19 season, appearing thrice in the Copa del Rey and once in the Champions League for the defending La Liga champions. But, the club chose to delve into the transfer market to bring in Junior Firpo from Real Betis.
Firpo is likely to contend with Alba for the starting spot on the left in the 2019-20 campaign. But, the 23-year-old’s arrival is likely to ensure Miranda is unlikely to get first-team minutes this season, which has seen Barcelona be open to the idea of shipping the 19-year-old out.
But, as per the earlier reports, Barcelona do hold Miranda in high regard and don’t want to lose the youngster on a permanent basis. With Juventus interested, Barcelona are hoping Miranda would instead opt to join Marseille on a season-long loan. The move makes sense for Miranda as well, with the 19-year-old in with more of a chance of getting regular game time at Marseille.
But, Juventus don’t have options beyond Alex Sandro and are likely to field Miranda on rotation. The Italian giants are ready to splash €10 million on the 19-year-old, with their Sporting Director in Spain to negotiate the probability of bringing the left-back in.
It is a difficult choice for Miranda, who can follow the Pol Lirola route and even be in contention for honours and trophies if he joins Juventus; or go for Marseille, where there is less chances of adding trophies to his career but ideally more game time. It is clear what Barcelona want, but it’s now down to Miranda.
