Goal.com

The Turin giants have turned their attention to the Spanish striker as Napoli refuse to sell Edinson Cavani, and the Old Lady have already tabled a first bid for the Spain forward

EXCLUSIVE
By Romeo Agresti

Juventus have turned their attention to Chelsea attacker Fernando Torres as they have set their sights on a high-profile striker ahead of the 2012-13 campaign, and have made a €30 million offer for the Spain international, Goal.com can reveal.

The Serie A champions had initially set their sights on Napoli star Edinson Cavani, but they have no intention of meeting the Partenopei's €70m valuation of the Uruguay international.

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Therefore, they are exploring other options once more, and they have earmarked the 28-year-old Fernando Torres as their new main transfer target.

The Spain international has been struggling to live up to the high expectations at Chelsea ever since his €58m move to the Blues in January 2011, and could be allowed to move on if the price is right.

Juventus director Fabio Paratici first met with Fernando Torres' entourage during the winter transfer window to discuss a potential move, and the Old Lady have now stepped up their interest a notch.

They are not only willing to splash the cash on the attacker, but are ready to include Italy international Sebastian Giovinco in the deal, too.

The View From Italy

"Torres is the second choice for Juventus, but the impression is that getting Cavani is going to be very difficult, so Torres could be the perfect solution. To be competitive in the Champions League, Juventus need a striker with international experience. Torres has that and he is slowly returning to his form of old." - Vittorio Campanile, Goal.com Italy Chief Editor

Chelsea already have plenty of creativity in their squad with the likes of Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Juan Mata, but manager Roberto Di Matteo is a keen admirer of Giovinco, and would relish the chance of working with the tricky attacker.

Nevertheless, the potential transfer of Torres to Juve is by no means a done deal yet as there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome.

The Bianconeri could struggle to meet the striker's wage demands as he is currently on an annual salary of nearly €10m.

Additionally, Chelsea are unlikely to sell the forward until they have secured the services of a new striker themselves. The Champions League winners are believed to be keen on Porto striker Hulk, but an agreement is still far away.

First contact between both clubs has been made, though, and Juventus appear to be sitting in pole position to lure Fernando Torres to Turin if his current club indeed opt to sell the beleaguered striker this summer.