Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Lucas Digne's Juventus Rumours

Barcelona full-back Lucas Digne is reportedly close to signing for Italian champions Juventus.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Calciomercato.com's Kaustubh Pandey), Barcelona director Ariedo Braida has already met with Juve.

Talks are said to be in an advanced state, and while Digne's buy-out clause sits at a whopping €100 million, the Turin side would only pay a fraction of that fee. They could take the former AS Roma man on loan, with an option to make the move permanent.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Goal's Romeo Agresti previously reported the Blaugrana had offered Digne to Juventus.

The 24-year-old has endured something of a nomadic career in recent years, playing for four different teams since 2013. He moved from Lille to Paris Saint-Germain that year, and the Ligue 1 giants sent him on loan to Roma in 2015.

He impressed enough for the Giallorossi in the 2015-16 campaign to earn a move to Barcelona, but at the Camp Nou, he has been nothing more than a depth option. This season, he has started just seven La Liga matches and three contests in the UEFA Champions League. Jordi Alba remains the club's choice starter on the left side of the defence.

He has featured heavily in the club's social media outings, including this clip with team-mate Samuel Umtiti:

The move would be an odd one for both clubs. Barcelona have no real depth at left-back behind Digne and Alba at the moment. Their top talent at the position, Juan Miranda, is just 18 years old and needs a lot more seasoning before making the step up to the team.

Juventus will be able to call on Leonardo Spinazzola for depth next year, as the Italy international will return from loan. The 25-year-old has broken out in a big way during his time with Atalanta and could contend for a starting position in Turin.

Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

According to Fabrizio Romano of Calciomercato, current starter Alex Sandro could leave the club in the summer, but he will only do so for a massive fee. In that case, the Bianconeri are expected to reinvest that money in a player with more upside than Digne, a depth option at best.

It never hurts to have options, however, and Juventus have gambled on former Serie A stars before. Medhi Benatia is a prime example―he starred for Roma before flopping at Bayern Munich―and since that move worked out so well, they could try their luck again.

A loan move with an option to buy would be the ideal solution for the Bianconeri, who could then take their time to see whether Digne is worth the money.