Manchester United look set to lose the race for Jhon Lucumi, with Juventus aiming to finalise a deal with Bologna in the 'next few hours'. Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth were also interested, but the Serie A giants are poised to secure his services.
Juventus close in on deal
Juventus faced competition from Inter Milan and Napoli, but they were one of the few to show concrete interest. United were on the fringes until a report in Italy claimed they were willing to meet the €25million (£21.7m) asking price.
Juventus initially appeared unlikely to do so after their first bid was rejected, while a proposal from Forest was turned down by the player. The former have since improved their offer, and according to GOAL, the deal is set to be completed in the coming hours.
Personal terms agreed
An agreement in principle has already been reached on personal terms, with Lucumi set to sign a five-year contract if the clubs agree on a fee. That has been the difficult part, with Juventus trying to offer players as part of a swap deal, but those advances were rejected. They are now prepared to pay €20m (£17m) as a fixed fee with easily achievable add-ons.
Lucumi's preference to join Juventus has helped them throughout the battle for his signature. Como also saw an offer dismissed, and they subsequently switched focus to Trevoh Chalobah, which in turn caused Chelsea to register an interest in Lucumi.
United's transfer activity
It looks highly unlikely the 28-year-old will be coming to the Premier League, but he is getting his wish of joining a big club even though Juventus have not qualified for this season's Champions League.
Michael Carrick is eyeing more United incomings, with squad depth key for competing on all fronts. Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Karl Darlow remain the only permanent senior signings made by United, with minimal activity over the last three weeks.
There have been links to Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Manu Kone as potential midfield signings, but nothing has materialised. In addition to Lucumi, left-footed defenders such as Lewis Hall, Jorge Salinas, Joaquin Seys and David Raum have emerged as targets. An enquiry was made for Hall, but Newcastle United made it clear they have no plans to sell.
