AC Milan in Transfer Battle with Juventus to Sign Cagliari's Astori

AC Milan will face a battle to capture the defensive talent Davide Astori, after Tuttosport revealed that Juventus are also keen on the 25-year-old.

The Rossoneri will undoubtedly have defensive issues to deal with this summer, knowing that Barcelona are heavily interested in their defensive talisman, Thiago Silva. Moreover, Massimiliano Allegri will be concerned by his side's reliance on Alessandro Nesta, due to the fact that the 36-year-old is approaching the end of his career, despite Milan's continued dependency throughout the current campaign.

Further options within the current squad are Phillipe Mexes, who enjoyed a promising start to his Milan career after recovering from a cruciate knee ligament injury. However, the Frenchman has had fitness issues in recent weeks, which have coincided with several below-par performances.

Daniele Bonera and Mario Yepes remain the next options at Allegri's disposal, who remain loyal squad players, but fall short of the required level to start for the Italian champions on a regular basis.

Cagliari president Massimo Cellino was reported to be quoting a price of €10 million for Astori. Considering Milan would fetch a figure close to four times that from the potential sale of  Silva, it should be considered to be an excellent piece of business.

The Isolani's stalwart, who has recently been handed his debut for the Azzurri, under Cesare Prandelli, will provide a solid foundation for the future, in addition to insuring that the potential sale of  Silva would not impede them too much.

Jack Alexandros is a football analyst for Football Radar, covering Serie A. You can follow him on Twitter, @jackalexandros and @FRcalcioJack.