Serie A giants Juventus have reportedly discovered the asking price of Atalanta BC midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.
Juve are believed to be in the market for a new midfielder as Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli are both suspended from football for off-field wrongdoings – the former tested positive for non-endogenous testosterone earlier this season and the latter is banned for breaching betting rules.
Koopmeiners has emerged as a possible target for the Old Lady, but Fichajes reports that Atalanta has slapped a €50m (£43m) asking price on the Dutchman.
The report adds that Juventus are not prepared to meet Atalanta's valuation of the 25-year-old, but they are expected to present an 'attractive proposal' in an attempt to convince La Dea to lower their asking price.
Koopmeiners has spent the last two-and-a-half-years at Atalanta and has made a total of 104 appearances in all competitions, scoring 21 goals and registering 12 assists.
The deep-lying midfielder is under contract at Atalanta until June 2027 and has previously attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion.
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Staying in Serie A and champions Napoli are reportedly interested in signing West Ham United midfielder Pablo Fornals.
The Spaniard has chipped in with 23 goals and 19 assists in 202 games for West Ham since joining from Villarreal in 2019, and he was part of the Hammers side that won the Europa Conference League last season.
However, Fornals has struggled to cement his place in David Moyes's team this term, starting just 10 of his 22 appearances in all competitions, leading to speculation about his future at the London Stadium.
According to Fichajes, Napoli are in talks with West Ham over the possibility of taking Fornals on loan for the rest of the season.
The report adds that La Liga duo Sevilla and Real Betis are also interested in the 27-year-old, who will see his contract with the Hammers expire in June 2025.
While a return to his native Spain could appeal to Fornals, it is understood that the final decision over a proposed exit will ultimately be made by West Ham, who are currently dealing with an injury crisis in the attacking department.
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Meanwhile, Championship club Sunderland are reportedly eyeing up a move for Leicester City left-back Luke Thomas.
The 22-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at Sheffield United, where he made 12 Premier League appearances before being recalled by the Foxes last weekend.
Thomas is expected to depart the King Power Stadium again on a temporary basis this month, and Sports Illustrated claims that Sunderland have identified the left-back as a possible target.
Manager Michael Beale is currently short in the left-back department as both Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins are sidelined with injuries, leaving Aji Alese as the club's only fit left-sided option in defence.
Sunderland currently sit seventh in the Championship table, level on points with sixth-placed Coventry City in the playoffs and a massive 25 points adrift of leaders Leicester.
Oliver Thomas
