Juventus are ready to go all out in their pursuit of Pep Guardiola, who has reportedly been identified as their desired replacement for Maurizio Sarri.
It seems Maurizio Sarri has failed to prove his credentials at Juventus after replacing Massimiliano Allegri at the start of the season. As a result, Juventus are now keen on luring Pep Guardiola to Italy in the summer, reports The Sun.
It is believed that Juventus president Andrea Agnelli holds Guardiola in high esteem and believes that he can usher in a successful era at the club. So essentially, he is willing to allow the Manchester City manager to name his terms if he agrees to join the club in the summer.
Guardiola, however, seems to be content at Manchester City, despite an underwhelming season that has seen the Citizens trail Liverpool by a whopping 22 points in the Premier League. They are virtually out of the title race while they will face a stern test against Real Madrid in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League later this month.
Therefore, Manchester City are likely to face an uphill task to find any success during the remainder of this campaign. As for Guardiola, he has coached clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich before. A move to Juventus, in that regard, would follow his sequence of moving to a big club of a top European league after every 3-4 years.
Speaking of Juventus, they have had a below-par campaign since appointing Maurizio Sarri as the new manager, one that was further foiled by a recent 2-1 defeat to Hellas Verona, which happened to be their third defeat in the Serie A under Sarri. The Bianconeri are now behind Inter Milan in the league table, albeit due to an inferior goal difference.
In the Champions League, Juventus are set to face Lyon in the Round of 16, which is a relatively easier test. Nevertheless, they are running the risk of blowing their record of nine league triumphs in a row. The extra cynosure, therefore, should be put on winning the league title by competing with Inter Milan, who have garnered success under former Juventus coach Antonio Conte.
As far as signing Guardiola is concerned, he is certainly a viable target for the Bianconeri. Being one of the best coaches in the 21st century, the Catalan certainly has the ability to guide Juventus back to the pinnacle of European football. And the club should try their best to get their hands on him once the season comes to a close.