Juventus have reportedly joined the race to sign Federico Bernardeschi and are set to rival Inter Milan and Chelsea for the Fiorentina winger.
Italian newpaper La Stampa have reported that Juventus have set their sights on Fiorentina winger Federico Bernardeschi as a summer target. The Italian champions now look set to rival Inter Milan and Chelsea in a three-way battle for the 23-year-old attacker.
Federico Bernardeschi is one of the most promising young talents emerging out of Italy currently, having progressed through the ranks at Fiorentina. The last couple of seasons, in particular, have been highly fruitful for the winger, as he has managed to establish himself as a key figure in attack for La Viola.
He has gone on to rack up the numbers this season, scoring 13 goals while providing five assists in 33 matches in all competitions – impressive numbers for a winger who is still developing. What has been even more impressive about him is his versatility to play across the attacking line as well as his abilites on the ball, moving or dead.
Bernardeschi’s exploits have earned him interest from several clubs, including the likes of AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. However, Inter Milan and Chelsea are the two most heavily linked clubs, with both planning to launch bids for him in the summer.
Chelsea have been targetting Bernardeschi for some time now, with Antonio Conte keen to add quality reinforcements in attack in the summer. The Blues were even planning a €45 million swoop for the Italian in January but had to put off their interest till the summer.
Bernardeschi is a good fit in Conte’s 3-4-3 system, with his electric burst of pace an asset in the quick counter attacking style of play. His versatility also allows him to play as part of the front three, as well as a wing back, having previously been deployed in that role.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, are all set to hand Stefano Pioli a war chest in order to build a strong squad at San Siro in the summer, following the club’s acquisition by the Suning Group. The Nerazzurri have, thus, identified Bernardeschi as the perfect signing to feature prominently for them in the long-term future.
However, both Inter and Chelsea now look set to face competition from Juventus, with the Bianconeri earmarking Bernardeschi as a top attacking priority for the summer. This is after the Serie A leaders were snubbed by Domenico Berardi in the summer, and they now believe that Bernardeschi is a more “transferrable” target to pursue.
One sticking point could be the heated rivalry that Juventus and Fiorentina share, and La Viola could well be unwilling to sell Bernardeschi to the Italian champions. But Juventus are ready to go all out for him regardless of the rivalry.
Thus, a bidding war could be sparked in the summer to secure the services of Bernardeschi, with Inter, Juventus and Chelsea all willing to fight tooth and nail for the 23-year-old. It now remains to be seen where Bernardeschi heads to with the player himself keen to take the next step in his career.
