Juventus will reportedly block midfielder Adrien Rabiot from leaving the club in the January transfer window.
The 27-year-old faces an uncertain future in Turin as his contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
Rabiot has been strongly linked with an exit from the Italian giants and he recently opened up on his desire to play in England amid interest from the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.
"I have always said that I would like to play in England in my career. Will it be at the end of my contract? I don't know, but I have this goal," Rabiot told reporters.
"I don't have a favourite team, there isn't really a club where I would necessarily like to play. It is above all [that] its level attracts me. I also think that the way of playing corresponds more to my qualities."
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Rabiot, who has also been linked with Barcelona, has spent the last month in Qatar with France competing at the 2022 World Cup, with Les Bleus ultimately losing 4-2 on penalties to Argentina in Sunday's final.
The midfielder is now set to return to Juve following a short break, but speculation continues to swirl surrounding his next career move ahead of the New Year.
According to Calciomercato, Juve will block Rabiot from departing the club in the winter window if fellow midfielder Paul Pogba suffers a setback in his recover from a knee injury.
Pogba, who flew out to Qatar to watch France in the World Cup final, has been given a personalised rehabilitation programme after undergoing knee surgery in July, but the majority of his recovery has been away from the training pitch.
The 29-year-old's condition is due to be assessed towards the end of January and if he requires further treatment then this could force Juve to keep hold of Rabiot to ensure they has cover in the midfield department.
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The report adds that head coach Massimiliano Allegri is keen to retain the services of Rabiot and Juve may only be convinced to sell the midfielder if they received an offer between €10m and €15m.
It is thought that Rabiot is unlikely to extend his contract with Juve and could therefore leave the club for free in July 2023.
Rabiot has spent the last three-and-a-half years with Juventus since joining the club from Paris Saint-Germain and has made a total of 145 appearances across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists.
The Saint-Maurice-born midfielder has been a first-team regular under Allegri during the 2022-23 campaign, recording five goals and two assists in 16 games across Serie A and the Champions League.
At the World Cup, Rabiot featured six times for France and contributed with one goal and one assist in the 4-1 victory over Australia in their opening group-stage match.
Oliver Thomas
