Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri hopes new signing Mario Mandzukic can settle quickly at the club and has called on French star Paul Pogba to see out another title-winning season in Turin.
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With striker Carlos Tevez rumoured to be on his way to Boca Juniors, Mandzukic could replace him in a transfer from Atletico Madrid worth a reported €18 million (Dh75m).
And Allegri appeared to confirm a deal had been struck when he told Sky Sports: “We signed Mandzukic because we wanted him.
“He’s a great player and I am very happy he’s here.”
If officially confirmed, it would end Manchester United’s reported interest in the fiery 29-year-old Croatian, who joined Atletico on a four-year deal from Bayern Munich less than a year ago.
Mandzukic, who scored his country’s opener in a 1-1 Euro 2016 qualifying draw against Italy last week, is one of Europe’s top strikers but, having quit Bayern due to issues with coach Pep Guardiola’s style of play, he then failed to completely convince Diego Simeone at Atletico.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri says Paul Pogba is happy to stay with the club despite interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
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With Paulo Dybala (Palermo) and Simone Zaza (Sassuolo) recently added to a Juve front line comprising Alvaro Morata and Fernando Llorente – who is being linked with a move to Monaco – Allegri expects Mandzukic to settle quickly.
“Mandzukic has scored goals in every league, he has great character, is an international player and will do well,” said Allegri.
“Mandzukic is here, we have Simone Zaza, Kingsley Coman, Alvaro Morata and Dybala – all of whom are young, quality players.
Allegri, who has also signed Sami Khedira from Real Madrid on a free transfer, said he expects Pogba to remain for at least one more season despite interest from the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
“The club doesn’t need to sell Pogba but it also depends on what the player wants to do. We’ve spoken and he’s happy to stay. He’s young, he needs to be at a club like Juventus, where he can develop.
“We’re a big club and we need to have the right motivation for another great year.”
