Genoa right-back Mario Sampirisi is reportedly attracting interest from English Premier League powerhouses Chelsea and Manchester United, according to his agent Giuseppe Riso, Sky Sports understands.
The 19-year-old moved from Italian giants AC Milan to Genoa, with Portuguese starlet Pelé moving to the San Siro in the deal, in August 2011.
Pelé, 21, is currently on loan at Ukrainian Premier League club FC Arsenal Kyiv, while Sampirisi is honing his craft as a member of Genoa’s first-team, having started seven Serie A matches for Il Vecchio Balordo this season.
“Chelsea
and Manchester United interested in him? Yeah, they sent their scouts to follow him live but I don’t know if they’ll try to take him in January,” Riso told tuttomercatoweb.
“Genoa do not want to sell. But I am not surprised that the Premier League clubs have their eye on him. Mario has the typical physique that British teams like.
“But also some Italian clubs are following him.”
The Italy U-20 international’s next chance to impress the scouts will come on Thursday, November 1, when Genoa are set to host Fiorentina at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Juve expect Buffon to extend deal
According to Sky Sports, Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has revealed that he expects star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to extend his contract at the club until 2016.
Buffon, 34, is rightfully regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of the modern era, for both club and country.
The Italy No. 1 has three clean-sheets to his name for Juventus this season, with the Bianconeri having conceded a league-best four goals in nine matches, while second-place Napoli have conceded five times.
“It seems to me the president has already cleared what is the current situation, that’s to say that between Juventus and Buffon there aren’t problems for the negotiation”, Marotta told Sky Italia.
“Buffon is Juventus and so he could stay at this club as long as he wants. So the contract could become a formality. We will have time to officially announce the deal in the next few weeks.”
Juventus extended their Serie A unbeaten streak to 48 games on Sunday, with Chile international Arturo Vidal netting the only goal in the club’s 1-0 victory over Catania at the Stadio Angelo Massimino.
The win kept Juventus three points clear of Napoli at the top of the league table. The three-point gap between the two sides is obviously directly related to Juventus’ 2-0 win over the Naples-based side on 20 October.
Now then, can Juventus finish the 2012-13 season unbeaten in league play yet again?
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