Interesting news for Juventus fans in the rumour mill this morning as La Vecchia Signora are reportedly interested in the U-20 French starlet Geoffrey Kondogbia, according to Italian papers La Gazzetta dello Sport as well as Il Corriere dello Sport.
Notably, both papers have spotty records when it comes to reporting "rumours," but both have said sources close to Juventus are reporting the club have concrete interest in the Frenchman and are preparing a €1.5m bid for his services on loan, with a mandatory €20m buyout at the year's end, provided the Turin based club qualify for the Champions League. Real Madrid have reportedly already had a €12m bid turned down.
Kondogbia currently plies his trade for Sevilla, and was recently an integral part of the France U-20 World Cup winning squad, playing alongside current Juventus player Paul Pogba. It is rumoured Pogba has talked to Kondogbia of joining him in Turin to form a midfield partnership that could last a long time.
Sevilla boss Unai Emery recently told Spanish paper Marca, that "We want him to stay here, but there are circumstances that could lead to an exit."
Also of note however, is that Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici is currently in the United States with the club on for the International Guinness Cup, and it is usually Paratici who is on hand to secure signatures, and close high profile transfers.
Ultimately, it is still far too early to determine how much weight this rumour carries, and while the money looks to be right (buyout clause is rumoured at €10m, with some sources reporting it is possibly as high as €20m), there is still no confirmation from Juventus' own media outlets.