Manchester United reignite interest in Juventus midfielder

As per a report from Rai Sport (via the Daily Mail) this afternoon, Manchester United are ready to rekindle their pursuit of Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi.

French powerhouse

Matuidi, a 62-time capped French international, had spent the last 6 years of his career at the Parc des Princes with PSG up to last summer, racking up over 200 Ligue 1 appearances with the capital giants.

However, following months of speculation that he had become expendable under current boss Unai Emery, the 30-year-old eventually made the move to Italian outfit Juventus in August of last year for an initial fee of 20 million Euro.

Competition

While the Bianconeri were seen as the clear favourites to land Matuidi all summer, reports emanating from France over the weeks that followed suggested that the Turin giants actually beat a host of Premier League sides to the punch upon securing the signature of the all-action midfielder.

A report from Le 10 Sport revealed that all of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal were in fact keen on bringing Matuidi to England.

However, the former St. Etienne standout eventually decided on turning down a move to the Premier League, with Juventus finally bringing their long-term target to Turin following a pursuit that had lasted over 12 months.

PL bound?

But, as per the aforementioned update from Rai Sport this afternoon, despite Matuidi having knocked back the opportunity to move to Old Trafford last summer, Manchester United are ready to reignite their pursuit of the experienced midfielder come the end of the season.

The Red Devils are known to be on the lookout for reinforcements in the middle of the park, with Ander Herrera struggling for form, Marouane Fellaini likely to depart upon the expiration of his contract in the summer and Michael Carrick set to retire at the end of the season.

And Matuidi, with his dynamism and energy, combined with the fact that he has experience of playing alongside Paul Pogba for France, is reportedly high up on the wishlist of United boss Jose Mourinho.

However, any and all links between Matuidi and a departure from Juventus should be taken with a pinch of salt, with the former PSG man having already established himself as a key member of Max Allegri’s squad, and the Bianconeri unlikely to listen to offers less than a year after finally securing his signature.