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FOCUS Lichtsteiner, Mandzukic... Listing Juventus' malcontents
Barring their defeat to Inter, the Bianconeri are flying high in the Serie A table, leading it as they’ve often done these past years and quickly integrating Gonzalo Higuain into their lineup.
There are some who are not so happy, however: First and foremost Neto Murara, who raised quite a storm when he left Fiorentina for the Old Lady. His agent, Stefano Castagna, raised another recently by responding to Giuseppe Marotta, who had talked about looking for a successor to Gianluigi Buffon.
“If this is what Juventus think, then we need to find a solution”, Castagna told the media.
Juventus refused a number of offers for the Brazilian last summer, but it now looks like his camp is angry, and that he could leave.
He isn’t the only one, Juventus blocking malcontent Stephan Lichtsteiner’s potential move to Inter, not wanting to sell to an Italian rival. Then again, agent Stefano Pastorello, who had previously worked with Lichtsteiner’s agent (and brother), recently stated that “knowing Stephen, this situation won’t go down well with him. He often expressed his wish to move, as far as I know that there were talks with foreign teams and Inter, but nothing happened. Juventus were possibly happier to sell overseas”.
With the former Swiss international’s contract six months short of expiring, the Old Lady wants to sell him to a foreign club, and Spanish sources claim that Barcelona are interested, though Bundesliga and Premier League sides are apparently making more of an effort.
The third big malcontent is Mario Mandzukic, whose hat-trick against Kosovo for Croatia does nothing but underline the contrast with how little playing time he is getting in Turin.
The Croatian doesn’t feel inferior to anyone, something he proved at Bayern Munich when he was behind Robert Lewandowski, and now PSG are thinking of him, as well as a number of Chinese Premier League clubs.
@marcodemi90, adapted by @EdoDalmonte
