Sunderland To Test Juve With Chiellini Bid
Sunderland are ready to test Claudio Ranieri's resolve by offering €16m for defender Giorgio Chiellini, only days after saying that Juventus' activity in the transfer market was over.
zoom - galleria The ambitious new Premiership outfit are keen to splash the cash before the end of the month and believe that Chiellini would be the perfect player to bolster their back line.
Manchester City were heavily linked to signing the former Italian Under-21 international, but gave up after Ranieri slapped a €16m price tag on his head.
Despite claims that Juve may not have any interest in doing a deal, Chiellini maybe interested in the fact that the Black Cats could almost treble his wages.
When Sven-Gorän Eriksson was linked with a move, the player's agent, Davide Lippi, claimed that he was very tempted by a move to England.
“He would be thrilled to play in the Premier League with City, but everything depends on Juventus, on the final price and on their will to let him leave,” he explained.
Ranieri believes that Chiellini will not be tempted to move and welcomed the player's decision not to push through a move to Eastlands.
"I would have been surprised if Chiellini had gone, I'm not surprised he's staying. I'm happy he's part of this squad," the coach said.
Roy Keane has missed out on several transfer targets since winning promotion at the end of last term and is ready to spend big to ensure his squad can cope with the demands at the highest level.
