Giuseppe Marotta insists Juventus do “absolutely not” have a deal for Lazio’s Keita Balde Diao but “we’re interested”.
The Bianconeri have been increasingly linked with the forward, but their general manger insists talk of a deal is premature.
“Is Keita already ours? Absolutely not,” Marotta said on Radio Rai.
“He is a Lazio player and he has another year on his contract. We’re watching him, I think he’s a good player but for the moment there’s no negotiation.
Giuseppe Marotta insists Juventus do “absolutely not” have a deal for Lazio’s Keita Balde Diao but “we’re interested”.
The Bianconeri have been increasingly linked with the forward, but their general manger insists talk of a deal is premature.
“Is Keita already ours? Absolutely not,” Marotta said on Radio Rai.
“He is a Lazio player and he has another year on his contract. We’re watching him, I think he’s a good player but for the moment there’s no negotiation.
“We’re interested, but we’ll evaluate things calmly.
“We’ve already taken [Mattia] Caldara, although he’ll remain in Bergamo [with Atalanta], and it’s the same for [Leonardo] Spinazzola who is already ours. We’ve focused on interesting youngsters.”
Marotta also discussed the future of Coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has been linked with the Arsenal job.
“When he arrived there was general skepticism but he’s earned the trust of everyone. The relationship between the club and the Coach is great and there are all the prerequisites to continue.
“Of course we haven’t talked about it yet, because all of our thoughts are on the Champions League final.
“Three years ago we had to deal with Antonio Conte’s sudden departure, and we did it in the best way.
“The group and the squad were favourable to the integration of a new Coach. Allegri entered in the best way and put all of his experience at the disposal of the squad.”
Finally, the director discussed next months Champions League final against Real Madrid in Cardiff.
“We’re aware that we’ve improved a lot compared to two years ago,” Marotta said.
“Some players who have already won it, like Dani Alves or [Mario] Mandzukic have come in. Allegri has experience and we want to play until the end.
“My future? I have a wonderful relationship with [President Andrea] Agnelli and we’ve created a winning group. I say that with pride.
“Sooner or later the end will come, but not now. We have a lot of desire to keep winning.”