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The top player might finally be arriving.
Well, at least that's what reports out of Italy — yes, the always-reliable Italian press — are telling us after Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici were in Manchester this evening to talk to City about a deal for striker Carlos Tevez.
Breaking news from Gazzetta and Sky: Juventus have reached an agreement with Manchester City for Carlos Tevez.
— Hashim ³¹ (@Hashim0307) June 25, 2013
SKY SOURCES: Juventus agree £10m fee for Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez. More on Sky Sports News #SSN
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 25, 2013
Still have doubts? Okay, that's understandable considering one of the sources reporting the potential move for Tevez.
HOWEVER...
Marotta torna da con lo scalpo della trattativa in borsa! Tevez e' della Juve: 447 presenze,condite da 188 gol, Bienvenido Carlitos
— Claudio Zuliani (@ClaudioZuliani) June 25, 2013
Well, I mean, if resident Juventus insider Cludio Zuliani is on it...
(Just for the record, so is La Stampa, a relatively reliable source when it comes to these kinds of things.)
It isn't official yet and reports as to whether personal terms have been agreed upon differing. But with the chase for Gonzalo Higuain reportedly coming to an end earlier in the day, Tevez seemed like the next option considering the price and the seller's, in the case Manchester City, willingness to part with a player who has had his number of ups and downs at the club.
If in fact it is the price everybody is saying it is, it's a classic Marotta deal. Obviously not the same kind of low-ball price as somebody like Andrea Barzagli a few years back, but Juve are clearly buying low on a player that is certainly worth a lot more than that. There's of course the personal baggage from the past that people will bring up. But at the end of the day, Tevez probably fits Antonio Conte's mentality better than anybody else currently on the market.
Food for thought: Tevez and Fernando Llorente for just about half the price of Higuain? Sign me up for that any day of the week.