Lille defender Tiago Djalo is reportedly drawing ever closer to sealing a transfer to Juventus this month.
The 23-year-old has now emerged as a primary target for the Bianconeri who are working on overtaking their arch-rivals Inter in the race for the defender’s services.
While the Nerazzurri opted to wait until the summer to sign the player on a free transfer, the Bianconeri are negotiating with Lille for an immediate switch.
According to Tuttosport via IlBianconero, Juventus are ready to finalize the operation after striking an accord with Lille on the basis of 3.5 million euros.
Nevertheless, the Italian giants still have to convince the centre-back.
In this regard, Juve have reportedly received some assistance from Timothy Weah who spoke to his former Lille teammate, giving him some positive feedback on the atmosphere at Continassa.
Moreover, the Turin-based newspaper believes that the Bianconeri are looking to fund the operation by selling Filippo Ranocchia to Palermo.
The young midfielder has been struggling for playing time while on loan at Empoli, and the Sicilian club is now showing interest in the 22-year-old.
Selling Ranocchia would yield around 3 million euros, which is almost the same figure that Juventus are planning to splash on Djalo.
At the moment, the main challenge remains convincing the Italian midfielder to take what would be considered a step back by joining a Serie B club, albeit an ambitious one like Palermo.
But regardless of the Ranocchia affair, the source insists that Juventus are optimistic about completing the transfer of Djalo.
