Juventus promised €100 million transfer kitty; Besiktas make a bid for Diego Forlan

Juventus promised €100 million transfer kitty

Juventus will have €100 million to spend on new players, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Old Lady plan a major squad overhaul in the summer following yet another disappointing season and it seems that general manager Beppe Marotta will have more than enough money to make that happen.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the Bianconeri will have around €100 million to spend on new players next summer, following comments made by John Elkann, president of Juventus’ holding company Exor.

Exor have reportedly prepared €60 million to invest in the squad next summer, while the club are expected to get additional €25 million from funds linked with the new stadium project.

The Old Lady also expect to raise another €15 million by selling their own players in the summer.

Beppe Marotta has already stated that the club would be looking to make two or three big name signings in the summer and the latest reports suggest that is likely to happen.

Nevertheless, Juventus’ continues absence from the Champions League means that a part of the aforementioned figure could be used to balance the books.

However, it is clear that the club will have a lot more money to spend on transfers this summer than they had in the previous transfer windows.

Besiktas make a bid for Diego Forlan

Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas have made an official bid to sign Diego Forlan, team manager Serdar Adali has confirmed.

After signing Simao last January, Besiktas have set heir sights on another Atletico Madrid player, Diego Forlan.

The Turks are using the Portugal international to persuade his former teammate into joining the Black Eagles.

Diego Forlan has already expressed his desire to leave Atletico and both him and the club are willing to listen to offers.

Atletico Madrid chief Gil Marin was in Turkey three weeks ago and Besiktas officials used his visit to enquire about the availability of Diego Forlan.

Besiktas have since made an official bid for the player, but they are hoping Atletico will lower their demands.

“We have made a bid for Forlan in accordance with our financial situation,” Besiktas team manager Serdar Adali said.

“The cost of Forlan is 12 million euros and his salary is 4.5 million per season. Under these conditions, the signing is a utopia.”

The Turkish club have already brought Guti, Simao, Quaresma, Hugo Almeida and Fernandes to Istanbul and they are hoping to add the Uruguayan to their star-studded squad.

[Source: AS]

Mascherano: I needed time to adapt

Javier Mascherano has admitted he needed time to adapt to Barca’s playing style following his transfer from Liverpool.

The Argentine struggled to get playing time at the start of his career at Camp Nou, but has slotted in at the centre of defence with several key players missing out through injuries.

“I’ve had to add a few things to my game. I’m a defensive midfielder who thinks more about his defensive duties than about getting involved going forward,” Mascherano told Marca.

“However, Barcelona are a team that enjoys a lot of possession, so I had to get involved more.”

“I have become a more complete player since joining Barcelona. I’m still growing under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.”

“I know that I’m getting more playing time because of the injuries to team-mates.

“I really wish that this hadn’t happened to them, even if it would have meant less first team action for me. Abidal’s situation in particular is really sad.”

It is highly unlikely that Mascherano will keep his place in the side when the absentees return, but he has to make the most of the opportunity he has and try to convince Guardiola that he can be useful playing in both directions.

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