Juventus keen on out of favour defender Vermaelen
Juventus are studying the possibility of making an offer for Thomas Vermaelen, according to Tuttosport.
The Italian side are looking for an experienced, affordable defender and the Barcelona player is on their list of targets, along with Bayern Munich's Benatia. Vermaelen would cost around 12 million euros and, based on this season, it seems he has left his injury problems behind.
Barça will listen to offers in June, although the player will have the final say on where he goes. Juve's interest in Vermaelen has grown after realising how difficult it will be to complete a move for Benatia. The Serie A champions wanted to bring him in on loan, but Bayern will only sell for close to the 30 million euros they spent on him. Benatia does not feature in Ancelotti's plans and already has experience in Italy, with Roma.
Juve have been in touch with Vermaelen to find out his plans, but the problem wouldn't be the transfer, but his wages. Vermaelen knows his days at Barça are coming to an end. He's not had too many minutes this season, although Mathieu's injury could change that.
Despite that, it's clear the coaches don't have too much confidence in him. The Belgian is aware of the situation and also has interest from the Premier League. Liverpool and Chelsea have been linked, with Barça happy for him to leave for 12 million euros.
