Secco In Germany To Negotiate Diego Transfer – Report The rumour mills continue to spin. Juventus sporting director Alessio Secco was in Germany yest

The Bianconeri are in desperate need of a creative centre midfielder and have set their sights on two Bundesliga stars, Hamburg’s Rafael van der Vaart, and Bremen’s Diego.


Diego, who is the current top-scorer in the German league is valued at €25m, however Secco has told Werder that Juve will pay no more than €20m.


Whether or not a compromise can be reached remains to be seen, but it is certainly a positive sign for all Juventus fans who are desperate for the club to splash out on a guaranteed top-class star.


It must be noted that any deal to sign Diego will not take place until the end of the season.


Meanwhile a player that the Bianconeri faithful are not so keen on, Momo Sissoko, could complete his transfer from Liverpool in the next few hours.


The Malian international is hugely admired by Claudio Ranieri, who personally feels that the midfielder can help bridge the gap in quality between Juve and the big teams.


"Yes, he could arrive, Ranieri confessed.


“He is a good player, another piece of the jigsaw that is needed to cut the gap on our Scudetto rivals.”

Almiron Rejects Fiorentina For Monaco – Agent Juventus flop Sergio Almiron has turned down the chance to move to Fiorentina and will join Monaco on l

Almiron only signed for Juve in the summer from Empoli, but his time in Turin has been a complete disaster.


The Bianconeri are desperate to offload the Argentine this month, and it seems that he will certainly move to Monaco, despite some serious interest from Fiorentina.


“Fiorentina have shown an interest in the player,” Vagheggi told Violanews.com.

“I spoke to their sporting director Pantaleo Corvino on several occasions during this transfer window, but Sergio has come to an agreement with Monaco and we are just waiting to make that official. We hope to have everything in place by the end of the week.”


The transfer will initially take the form of a loan deal until the end of the season, and then Monaco will have the opportunity to make the move permanent.


After releasing Almiron, Juve are likely to make a big push to sign Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko before the end of the transfer window. A fee of €13-15 has been mooted for the Malian international.

 

Ranieri: We're Simply Not Good Enough

“We’re simply not good enough.”

That’s the opinion of the Juve boss, after witnessing his team put out a lacklustre effort against Sampdoria to draw 0-0 at home on Sunday.

Just a week earlier, Alessandro Del Piero’s last-gasp penalty salvaged a 1-1 draw at Catania. These two results leave Juventus 12 points behind champions and league leaders Inter, who came from behind to beat struggling Parma 3-2.

Immediately after the game, Ranieri was not as downcast, insisting that his team were just missing a goal. However, as the feelings sunk in, the opinion has changed.

Now, Rainieri has conceded that there’s little chance of Juventus winning the Scudetto this season.

"We're not at the same level as the big teams," he said.

"Congratulations to Sampdoria, they played well. We had the chances but we needed to convert them. Of course, we can't always win but our position in the league hasn't changed much.

“As for us, I believe we’ll need to strengthen the squad and do our best for the rest of the season.”

Although Ranieri intends to bolster his squad with new players, he has faced frustration in signing the players that he wants.

He said: "We will certainly do something but we have to find the right player for us. If they're looking at Milan or Inter, then they certainly won't be joining us."

Meanwhile, Juve goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon believes that his teammates shouldn’t be concerned about winning the Serie A crown anymore.

Instead, the Italian international has advised them to be wary with the teams behind them, who are competing with them for the four Champions League places. Fiorentina's third consecutive win cut their gap to Juve to three points while European champions AC Milan have been resurgent. Despite being in ninth place - they have three games in hand on their rivals.

"I've said before that we expect Milan to come back into the Champions League race and they've proved me right and are looking dangerous once again," said Buffon.

Milan spent their three-week winter break training in Dubai and have won both their matches since the Serie A season resumed.

Juve Forcing Tiago To Agree Tottenham Move

The last few days have seen Juventus and Claudio Ranieri finally give up on Tiago. What is more, even the player himself has made it very clear that he cannot take it anymore, and needs to leave Juventus.

However, Tiago and his advisors are intent on making a carefully considered move, and not rush to the first club that shows interest.

That first club at the moment are Tottenham, who have already struck a deal with Juventus.

A £9.7million (around 13.5 million euro) offer from Spurs has been accepted by the Bianconeri, but Juve now need the player to accept the move, so that they themselves can go ahead with their bid for Momo Sissoko - which is back on.

It is understood that in a bid to convince the Portuguese midfielder to 'pack his bags', Juve have informed Tiago he will not feature for the first team this season, and will have to be restricted to the training grounds for the rest of the season should he choose to stay.

Juve are convinced that 13.5 million is the best they can make from Tiago's sale, and want this deal concluded quickly lest Tottenham turn to other players. However, the player will take his time, it seems.

Ranieri: We Were Just Missing A Goal

The Bianconeri completely dominated the first half, as Marco Marchionni missed an open-goal, and David Trezeguet hit the post and had an effort cleared off the line.


The second period though Juve were desperately disappointing, with the only chance created being a last-minute volley from Trezeguet.

“We faced a team that defended in an orderly fashion. We tried every way we could to score, but we were just missing that final touch,” said Ranieri.

“We tried spreading the play out wide and shot from every angle, but even in the last second David Trezeguet fired over.”

There was some controversy in the game as Juve had a number of penalty appeals turned down, while Trezeguet tried to claim that his effort in the first half had been cleared away from behind the goal-line.

“I don’t think it was a goal,” confessed Ranieri. “It is unlikely the ball went over completely. This was just a cursed game and we could not have done more.”

Despite today’s disappointment the Tinkerman is keen to stress that Juve are still having a fine campaign.

“We are having an extraordinary season and there is a lot more work to do. We know all this. We said from the start there were more complete squads than us. We want to challenge for the Scudetto, but that is because it is in the DNA of this club,” he concluded.

Juventus Chase Barcelona Youth Thiago 16-year-old Barcelona midfielder Thiago is said to be a target for Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri...

Thiagodo 'Thiago' Nacimiento Alcácantara is being tracked by Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri, according to Spanish sports daily Marca.

The 16-year-old is one of Josep Guardiola's success stories with the FC Barcelona youth squad and reserve team, and is the son of former Brazilian international and Celta Vigo stalwart Mazinho.

A versatile central midfielder, Thiago has represented Spain at U-17 level on the international stage alongside Bojan Krkic, who has already made the step up to first team football from the culer youth side.

Ranieri may feel that signing a youngster is an affordable way to build his side for a long-term return to the upper echelons of European football.

Defenders Now For Ranieri, Diego In June – Report Juventus are set to only use this month’s transfer window to buy some defenders, and will spend the

The Bianconeri are embarrassingly short of numbers in defence as Giorgio Chiellini has been ruled out for between five and six weeks, Jonathan Zebina is still at least two weeks from a comeback, while Jorge Andrade is a long-term casualty.


Despite their lack of numbers in defence, Alessio Secco and the Juve transfer directors hastily decided to send Domenico Criscito on loan to Genoa until the end of the season.


This means that the Old Lady now only have Nicola Legrottaglie and Jean-Alain Boumsong as available, natural centre backs.


Juve boss Claudio Ranieri is desperate to sign one, if not two stoppers this January, and the first player likely to join is Aston Villa’s Olof Mellberg.


The 30-year-old Swedish international’s contract runs out at the end of the season, and it is strongly believed that Juve have already agreed a deal to sign him on a ‘Bosman’.


However according to this morning’s Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri will offer Villa £700,000 so that the player can join right away.


Fast forward to this summer, and Ranieri is determined to bring to the club a guaranteed world-class midfielder.


The current favourite is Brazilian playmaker Diego. His club Werder Bremen value him at a monstrous €30m, however it seems the Tinkerman would rather splash out this kind of money, than risk a repeat of last summer’s disastrous transfer campaign when Tiago Mendes and Sergio Almiron were bought for a combined €22m.

Del Piero: Some Players Have Under-Performed Alessandro Del Piero says that these are important times in Juventus’ season and admits, without naming

The Bianconeri are going well in Serie A in third position, however they have had a less than smooth start to 2008, following a 1-1 draw at Catania and a see-saw 5-3 Coppa Italia win over Empoli.


“It’s an important time for us,” Del Piero told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“We are in a good League position, but if we are to make an excellent season into a stupendous one we must give more.

“We have all worked so hard up to now. We can’t lose our intensity, as this can be an exceptional year.”


While some players such as Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon and David Trezeguet have shone, others such as summer signings Tiago Mendes and Sergio Almiron have flopped terribly.


“Maybe some players have given more than others,” Alex conceded.


“Some players have had some difficulty settling in this year, but nobody has been lacking in training and I don’t want to point fingers at anybody.

“Us older heads in the group have never stopped taking responsibility. It’s a positive thing to be able to set a good example.

“Compared to our rivals we have changed a lot since last year, but we have kept our pride, determination and will to win.”


Juventus will be keen to secure their first Serie A win of 2008 when they host Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin on Sunday.

Juve Set To Land Mellberg & Sissoko Immediately? Juventus could sign Olof Mellberg and Momo Sissoko during this month’s transfer window, according to

The Bianconeri are currently going through a crisis in defence as Giorgio Chiellini is sidelined for a month, Jonathan Zebina is out for another two weeks, while Jorge Andrade is still a long way from a return.


With Alessio Secco and the transfer directors hastily agreeing to send Domenico Criscito on loan to Genoa until the end of the season, Juve have embarrassingly few options in defence, particularly in the centre-back positions.


With this in mind it seems inconceivable that Juve will nor purchase a player in this role this month and the ‘Gazzetta’ says that Olof Mellberg could be this man.


The Aston Villa stopper is virtually certain to join the Old Lady in the summer on a free transfer, however the Italian-club may now try to push this deal forward immediately.


Juve are prepared to offer Villa €1m in compensation, although it remains to be seen if this will be accepted given the Swede’s likely importance to the team for the remainder of the campaign.


Another player who could arrive this month is Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko. Juve are reportedly back in pole position to sign the player and are prepared to offer in the region of €12m.


Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri is a huge admirer of Sissoko and regards him as being in the ‘world-class’ category bracket.

I Guarantee You A World-Class Player, Promises Ranieri Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri has confirmed that the club will be signing at least one world

Ranieri wanted to reassure all Juventus fans that the club will invest in a world-class player over the coming months in order to build a team capable of competing in Europe.

"Before signing the contract, I wanted to know the project," explained Ranieri to 'Tuttosport', "and this is a winning project.

"We shall work to bring to Juventus a real world-class player," he continued.

"Obviously our situation is not that of a club with a Moratti or Abramovich behind our backs, who can sign a cheque of 100m Euros.

"Also, the others buy in order to remain at the highest levels, whereas we must re-build a palace and do it as quickly as possible."

Ranieri mentioned three players he would like to have at Juventus, but Rafael Van der Vaart was not among them.

"I would like to have Aquilani, but Roma will not sell him. Diego is a great player and resembles Zola a bit, whereas Sissoko can run a lot, has a great physique and interesting technique."

Ranieri Not Happy Despite Victory

Claudio Ranieri did not have many reasons to smile despite seeing his team Juventus qualify to the quarter finals of the Coppa Italia with a 5-3 win over Empoli.

"We started well, but suddenly with [Giorgio] Chiellini's injury we turned off the light, and they took advantage of that," he said after the game. "If it goes well, he'll be out for only a month."

On the defensive department, which certainly did not perform very well today, he said: "We made many mistakes in defence, and I will show the videos of the goals to my players. But we also missed a lot of chances up front."

Inevitably, he also was asked about Tiago, who seeems ever closer to leaving the club soon after being substituted at half time for the second consecutive time.

"I didn't like the way he played, I expected more from him. Often he hid and instead of playing the ball forward he played it backwards," Ranieri concluded.

Ranieri Refuses To Concede Scudetto Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri has refused to rule his side out of the title race despite falling further behind l

While Inter recorded a 3-2 win at Siena, their seventh successive victory in Serie A, the Bianconeri could only manage a 1-1 draw at Catania.


This means that Juve are now 10 points behind Inter and will require a Herculean effort in order to claw back the advantage between now and the end of the season.


“They have moved two points further away - that’s all,” he said. “It’s not the time to be making calculations – we must continue to press on.

“I’m happy with the way we have performed so far. I expected Catania to play well, but I didn’t expect that result.”


Ranieri also looked ahead to tomorrow’s Coppa Italia clash with Empoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Juve trail 2-1 on aggregate from the first leg but will be confident of booking their place in the quarter-finals.


“In the first leg we put in a remarkable effort to get back in contention,” the Tinkerman recalled. “We did part of the job then and now we need to get through.”


“The motivation is winning the Cup, even if we will have to overcome some tough challenges.”


If Juventus do progress they will almost certainly meet Inter in the last eight, as the Nerazzurri lead 4-1 from their first leg match.

“We need to think about this game before we concentrate on Inter. I won’t play a hugely different side, but we will have to see at the end of training today,” Ranieri concluded.

Portsmouth Set To Sign Tiago – Report Portsmouth are close to completing the signature of Juventus midfielder Tiago Mendes, according to The Sun.

Tiago only joined the Bianconeri in the summer from Lyon for €13m, however he has been a huge disappointment in Turin.


Juventus Coach Claudio Ranieri had been singing Tiago’s praises before last weekend, saying that the 26-year-old had shown great improvement in training in recent weeks.


This led the Italian media to speculate that Tiago could secure his future at the club, as well as force Juve to scrap plans to sign Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko, if he played well against Catania on Saturday evening.


However the Portuguese international had a disastrous game and was substituted at half-time with the Bianconeri trailing 1-0.


Following their eventual 1-1 draw in Sicily, many believe it is inevitable that Tiago will be offloaded and according to The Sun, Portsmouth will be the benefactors.


The Premiership-outfit are desperate for reinforcements as their squad has been ravaged by players participating in the African Cup of Nations.


Manager Harry Redknapp is a big admirer of Tiago and is ready to splash out just over €10.5m to get the ex-Chelsea man.


This fee would probably suit Juve, although it would represent a loss of €2.5m for less than six months service.

 

Portsmouth Set To Sign Tiago – Report Portsmouth are close to completing the signature of Juventus midfielder Tiago Mendes, according to The Sun.

Tiago only joined the Bianconeri in the summer from Lyon for €13m, however he has been a huge disappointment in Turin.


Juventus Coach Claudio Ranieri had been singing Tiago’s praises before last weekend, saying that the 26-year-old had shown great improvement in training in recent weeks.


This led the Italian media to speculate that Tiago could secure his future at the club, as well as force Juve to scrap plans to sign Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko, if he played well against Catania on Saturday evening.


However the Portuguese international had a disastrous game and was substituted at half-time with the Bianconeri trailing 1-0.


Following their eventual 1-1 draw in Sicily, many believe it is inevitable that Tiago will be offloaded and according to The Sun, Portsmouth will be the benefactors.


The Premiership-outfit are desperate for reinforcements as their squad has been ravaged by players participating in the African Cup of Nations.


Manager Harry Redknapp is a big admirer of Tiago and is ready to splash out just over €10.5m to get the ex-Chelsea man.


This fee would probably suit Juve, although it would represent a loss of €2.5m for less than six months service.

Gigli Praises Catania Display Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli admitted that Catania deserved their point. He is now looking forward to Tues

Many had dismissed the mid-week defeat against minnows Valletta as something not to worry about, but following last night's last minute equalizer that saved face against Catania, coach Claudio Ranieri and the Juventus officials will have something to think about.

However, president Cobolli Gigli still remains positive and even took comfort in the good second half performance of the Bianconeri which led to the equalizer.

"It was a game we should have won, but we found in front of us a very good Catania side that imposed a draw on us," admitted the Juventus president.

"However, I still saw a good Juventus, and in the second half, we showed the usual grit which always distinguishes this team," he continued.

Now Juventus' next match is on Tuesday evening against Empoli, in the second leg of the Coppa Italia, with the Old Lady having to overcome a 2-1 defeat suffered in the first leg.

"We look forward now and are already thinking about Empoli for Tuesday evening's clash," concluded the Juve boss.