Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 09:15• Chris Meijer

Massimiliano Allegri bets on a reunion with Miralem Pjanic at Juventus, as you know La Gazzetta dello Sport to report. La Vecchia Signora would like to involve Aaron Ramsey in an agreement with Barcelona. However, it remains to be seen whether the Catalans are open to this, as the 30-year-old Welsh midfielder earns a hefty salary in Turin and Barca must cut back in this regard.

The return of Pjanic has been a topic of conversation at Juventus for some time. Federico Cherubini, the sporting person ultimately responsible at the Italian top club, is said to have submitted a striking proposal in Barcelona last month. Juventus offered Arthur Melo in exchange for Pjanic, a year after the Brazilian midfielder came to Turin in an exchange deal with Barcelona. Barcelona saw nothing in this, so Juventus had to adjust their plans.

With Arthur going under the knife and out of action for three months, Juventus is even more in need of a new playmaker. Juventus are emphatically after Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli, but Allegri wants to post a more defensive midfielder behind him and sees Pjanic as the ideal candidate for that. The two previously worked together at Juventus, only the hefty salary of the 31-year-old Bosnian midfielder is a stumbling block. Juventus must lose a high earner to bring in Pjanic.

For that reason, Juventus is betting on an exchange deal, which should ensure that Ramsey goes the opposite way. The chance, however, is considered small that Barcelona will agree to this. The Catalans would like to sell Pjanic in order to be able to cut back on the salary budget. So it is of little use to Barcelona to see the expensive Ramsey again if Pjanic leaves. Pjanic himself would like to return to Juventus after having had an unhappy year at Barcelona.

Trainer Ronald Koeman hardly called on Pjanic in the past season. He played a total of thirty games, twelve of which as a starting player. Incidentally, his arrival is also possible if Juventus manages to sell Ramsey to another club. Ramsey was taken over from Arsenal in 2019 on a free transfer and has a contract until mid-2023, but has not always been a basic player at Juventus in the past two seasons.