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Claudio Marchisio Wants Juventus to Chase Paul Pogba, Jurgen Klopp
May 15, 2019
Former Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has urged his old club to be ambitious this summer and chase Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester United's Paul Pogba, even if they would be difficult to land.
The Italian spoke to Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia), highlighting Klopp as the ideal replacement for current Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri:
"I’d like a coach that I believe can’t be had: Jurgen Klopp. I’m crazy about his game and I like his way of playing football. He would do very well in Italian football.
"But if Allegri stayed, I wouldn’t see anything wrong with it because he’s a coach who always wins and that’s no small feat."
On Pogba, he questioned the France international's decision to return to United after his great spell with the Bianconeri. When asked about potential summer signings, Pogba was one of his preferred picks:
"It’s difficult... let’s see: I was very impressed by (Frenkie) De Jong, but he’s gone now. I’d love to see (Kevin) De Bruyne or (Eden) Hazard in Italy, but it seems difficult.
"Therefore, I say Pogba. Paul’s return would be great, also because Juventus need a midfielder to give more impetus to their attack. Frankly, I didn’t understand his decision to go Manchester, where he had already been: I understand the money, but if he was thinking about the next step of his career then I would’ve chosen Spain."
The 33-year-old Marchisio left Juventus for Zenit Saint Petersburg in the summer of 2018, having spent his entire senior career up until that point in Turin, barring a loan spell with Empoli.
Marchisio played with Pogba while he plied his trade for Juventus between 2012 and 2016. The Frenchman returned to Old Trafford after that great spell but has been unable to replicate his success in England.
He was the target of jeers after the 2-0 loss to Cardiff City on the final Premier League matchday, and former United and Juventus defender Patrice Evra told Sky Sports the fans are "killing" him:
Current Juventus midfielder and French team-mate Blaise Matuidi has previously talked about a possible return to Turin for Pogba, telling La Stampa (h/t Football Italia) that "all great players are welcome."
There have been less exit rumours involving Klopp, who has enjoyed a fine season with Liverpool and can win his first bit of silverware with the Reds if they beat Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League final on June 1.
Speculation linking him with the Bianconeri has reportedly prompted the Reds to hand him a new bumper deal, per Calciomercato (h/t Liverpool Echo):
This season, Klopp guided the Reds to within a single point of the Premier League title. Their haul of 97 points would have been good enough to win the title in 24 of the past 26 seasons, according to CBS Sports' Roger Gonzalez.
Allegri has led Juventus to five straight Serie A titles but has failed to deliver on their Champions League ambitions. Despite the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, the Italian champions couldn't make it past Ajax in the quarter-finals of the tournament.