Juventus Ready Bid for Barcelona's Ibrahim Afellay

Juventus' hunt for a left midfielder throughout this transfer window has seen them involved with the likes of Eljero Elia, Luis Nani, Michel Bastos, Diego Perotti and Franck Ribery.

A combination of slow negotiations and rejections saw each player slip away from Turin, regardless of the media hype surrounding any potential move. However, it would now seem that Juventus are ready to end their search for that elusive midfielder by tabling a bid for Barcelona's Ibrahim Afellay.

According to Goal.com, Juventus are looking at securing the services of the Dutch international for a fee of €8 million. The purchase would surely mark the end of a fairly successful transfer campaign by the Bianconeri, who are entering a new era under the guidance of former player Antonio Conte.

Last month, Afellay's agent Rob Jansen stated that his client was content at Barcelona and had no intention of leaving. Fast-forward a few weeks and the €70 million spent on Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez may just force Jansen to re-think his words.

Perhaps a permanent deal might not be on the cards, but instead a loan to the Italian giants. For Afellay, getting as much playing time under his belt as possible will be the key objective of the season. Whether it will be with Barcelona or Juventus is a question that can only be answered by him.

Fellow Dutch midfielder Eljero Elia turned down Juventus' bid for his services earlier this month, claiming that Juventus were not any different to Hamburg in terms of status.

Juventus will remain in the market until they are able to fill the void on the left-hand side of the midfield.

They kick off their Serie A campagin against Udinese away from home.