It appears Juventus have abandoned their efforts to sign long-term transfer target Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg.
Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta has made no secret of his desire to sign the Bosnia international striker, calling it a "dream" of his.
However, despite laying the groundwork in the summer, it seems Juventus will be priced out of the race to sign him, which has intensified again in anticipation of the January transfer window.
It appears Juventus have abandoned their efforts to sign long-term transfer target Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg.
Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta has made no secret of his desire to sign the Bosnia international striker, calling it a "dream" of his.
However, despite laying the groundwork in the summer, it seems Juventus will be priced out of the race to sign him, which has intensified again in anticipation of the January transfer window.
La Gazzetta dello Sport claim Manchester City have made an offer worth €59m, which Wolfsburg have sensationally refused.
Given Juventus can't realistically go over €40m one would assume Marotta will have to rule his club out of the running.
There is a growing feeling that Dzeko has been promised to German giants Bayern Munich.
Reports claim he will move to the Allianz Arena in the summer, prompting Juventus to explore alternatives.
This is supposedly why Marotta has stepped up his interest in Catania striker Maxi Lopez who is being valued at between €15m and €20m.
Juventus will bring the price down considerably by offering a couple of youngsters in exchange, the most likely being Lorenzo Ariaudo and Frederik Sorensen.
The Turin giants have also been monitoring Dimitar Berbatov's situation carefully.
La Gazzetta understands Juventus have no doubts about the player's technical quality, but add that Marotta would like to find out more about his personality and whether he suits the club's philosophy.