Juventus centre-half Daniele Rugani's much hyped move to Chelsea appears one step nearer to fruition after the player's agent confirmed an approach from the west London lot.
But the seven-time running Scudetto winners are standing in the way, as Rugani's representative, Davide Torchia, also said that Juventus have no interest in selling the 23-year-old.
"The Blues really like Rugani and have made an important offer. Juve are aware of the interest of Chelsea but for now they don’t want to sell the player," Torchia told Radio Vecchia Signora, courtesy of the Evening Standard's Alex Young.
"We know everything has a price, Rugani is a defender that would make Chelsea’s manager happy and it would be a good investment for Chelsea."
Rugani has been linked with a move to the English capital corresponding with former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri's appointment at Stamford Bridge. A report in mid-June from the Evening Standard's Simon Johnson claimed that a £44 million transfer fee with £77,000-per-week wages on a five-year deal had been presented to Juventus.
Still, Juventus remain resistant to the idea of selling the seven-time capped Italy international. Torchia confirmed as much, adding, "And they have consistently done this throughout these past years."
Juventus sporting director Beppe Marotta recently confirmed that centre-back Leonardo Bonucci expressed an interest in returning to Turin following a season at AC Milan, a move that would strengthen a backline that features aging duo Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, Medhi Benatia, and Atalanta returnee Mattia Caldara.
"Rugani wants to play more games because he feels that he has the technical and moral qualities to do a career similar to those of Chiellini and Barzagli," Torchia continued. "Should Bonucci arrive, they will need to share the pitch a bit."
