There is a good news and a bad news for Graziano Pelle. The bad news is that he may be surplus to Southampton FC’s requirements, and the good news is that Italian giants Juventus are reportedly looking to sign him.
Southampton, who have been struggling recently in the Premier League, have brought former QPR striker Charlie Austin on board in order to score more goals. Austin seems to be an instant hit with the team, as he scored the only goal in the Saints’ 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Just to put that in perspective, Austin’s goal allegedly resulted in Louis van Gaal sending in a resignation letter to Manchester United chairman Ed Woodward. However, due to Austin’s arrival, the out-of-form Pelle has fallen down the pecking order and is reportedly not wanted by Southampton manager Ronald Koeman anymore.
Pelle has been playing in the Italian national team for some time now and that seems to have attracted the attention of Juventus, who are also known as the ‘Girlfriend of Italy’ for the number of Azzurri members they have in their squad. In fact, Juventus are said to be ready to sign Pelle in the summer of 2016, according to a report in the Daily Mirror.
Lazio in the race too
Giving competition to Juventus are SS Lazio, who are languishing at the ninth spot on the Serie A table right now. It would be interesting to see who he Pelle chooses, as Lazio may offer him regular football while Juventus could give him more silverware and Champions League appearances.
Southampton to break even on Pelle transaction?
The Saints had bought Pelle for €11 million from Feyenoord back in 2014, and would probably not expect anything less than that amount from his potential suitors. As it stands, Pelle is currently valued at €11 million itself, by Transfermarkt and the Saints might even be looking to make a little profit on the Italy striker.
