Serbia international Nemanja Matic has emerged as a potential transfer target for Juventus following their debacle at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League final last weekend.
The Old Lady were humiliated by a 4-1 scoreline at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff with Zinedine Zidane’s men managing to dominate the proceedings in midfield.
According to Calciomercato, Matic has been identified as a suitable option to bolster the Old Lady ranks during this summer’s transfer window. Max Allegri had looked into a proposed deal for the Serbian last year, but Chelsea managed to keep hold of his services after Antonio Conte assured him of regular first-team action.
Matic therein earned a regular spot alongside N’Golo Kante in midfield and managed to start 30 out of the club’s 38 league games as they secured the Premier League crown for the fifth time in their history. In spite of this, the Serbian enforcer faces an uncertain future beyond the summer with Conte keen on recruiing a new midfielder with a more robust personality.
Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko is among the prime targets for the west London giants, and it looks more and more likely that Matic could be assessing his Blues future with the transfer window due to reopen in less than a months’ time. Cesc Fabregas was largely sidelined to a bench role regardless of exceptional quality on the playing field, and Matic could receive a similar treatment, should he stay put at Stamford Bridge.
Matic’s current deal is due to expire at the end of 2018/19 season, and talks over a probable extension has stalled with the club looking into the transfer market first before making a decision on the Serbian’s future. The 28-year-old has appeared in nearly 150 outings for Chelsea since his second coming from Benfica back in the winter of 2014.