Juventus showed solid interest in signing Jadon Sancho from Manchester United for the second summer on the spin, but the clubs could not agree on his valuation.
Sancho, who spent last season on loan at Chelsea, recently turned down the chance to be reunited with former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Besiktas.
His agent and a United mediator are in Italy to try broker a Serie A deal, with Juventus out of the race because of their financial plight.
It could have been a different scenario had the Turin titans managed to offload either winger Nicolas Gonzalez, midfielder Douglas Luiz or striker Dusan Vlahovic.
United’s asking price has been gradually lowered, with the Italian press citing that the Premier League club could potentially accept a figure as low as €17.4 million (US$20.3m) for the 25-year-old.
Yet he is one of United’s highest earners, with his steep salary demands out of Juve’s reach and the reason why Napoli no longer pursued signing him.
Serie A sides keen on England ace
Sancho, who returned to United for their recent whirlwind US tour, is wanted by Inter Milan boss Cristian Chivu, Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri and Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Primarily a creative winger, Sancho does not seem a tactical fit for Juventus who already have a plethora of top-notch players to fill that role.
He is in talks to become a new Giallorossi player, with the two clubs making progress in negotiations with the objective of finalizing a deal over the next few days.
The only obstacle is Sancho’s salary. Only former Juventus star Paulo Dybala takes home a hefty weekly wage at Roma, but that would be dwarfed by Sancho’s demands.
Sancho pay cut needed to join AS Roma
His transfer would depend on the player accepting a huge pay cut. It could be viable as United are likely to compensate him with pay-off for any salary reduction at Roma, as his contract expires next June.
The decision of where he plies his trade next season is down to Sancho, with Roma’s goal of signing him on loan with a conditional obligation to buy.
He offers Italian soccer both the physicality and technical traits to light up Serie A, which could leave Juve kicking themselves, although Roma are looking at other alternatives to Sancho including Aston Villa’s Jamaica international Leon Bailey.