Juventus Reportedly Lead Manchester City, Arsenal in Latest Joel Piroe Rumours
August 15, 2018
Juventus are reportedly in pole position to sign PSV Eindhoven attacker Joel Piroe ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal, and the Italian giants are said to have made an approach for the player as they look to finalise a deal.
Goal's Chris Wheatley also mentioned Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund among Piroe's admirers, but Juve are ready to test the waters with a €2 million (£1.8 million) offer.
Piroe is yet to make his senior debut for PSV but impressed as part of Mark van Bommel's under-19 side last season, when he scored 25 times in 31 appearances across all competitions.
Serie A's summer transfer window will close on Friday evening, giving Juventus only a matter of days to complete the signing. If not, they risk the player falling into the clutches of another European heavyweight.
Fan account Dutch Football highlighted some of Piroe's feats so far in his career and particularly his record in the Netherlands youth setup, having earned his under-19 debut for the Oranje at only 17 years of age:
There may be a temptation to persevere at PSV for at least one more season, however, after club icon Ruud van Nistelrooy took over their under-19 side, per Sky Sports' Joe Shread.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker has already been within the PSV backroom for some years, but the opportunity to work so closely with an Oranje legend could be too good for Piroe to pass up.
Any chances of a breakthrough star emerging in Juve's forward line are all the slimmer following Cristiano Ronaldo's £100 million transfer to Turin. However, Moise Kean, 18, is already making headway under manager Massimiliano Allegri, meanwhile, and looks like the next young forward in line for a shot at the first team.
Previous Dutch stars to have succeeded with the Bianconeri include Edgar Davids and Edwin van der Sar, while 30-times capped Netherlands international Eljero Elia also spent the 2011-12 season at the club.
Piroe is yet to make his professional debut but has earned enough attention for some of Europe's big guns to take notice, with Juve under pressure to complete a deal in the next 48 hours if they want his talents this season.