Juventus director general rules out a Claudio Marchisio to Manchester United move

When asked last week about his (very loose) links to Manchester United, Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio responded this way:

"These are things to be proud of, but I am not sure if they are true. I have not heard from anyone at Manchester United or Monaco."

- Marchisio | Source: Gazetta dello Sport

Claudio, I'm with you -- I doubted the speculation being true as well. Quite predictably, various outlets in England and Italy ran with these quotes and insinuated that the link for his move away from Turin to Manchester had now grown stronger. Perhaps in response to this, Juventus general director Beppe Moratta has dismissed the possibility that his star midfielder would be sold this summer:

"We won't sell him. It seems to me that the clearest demonstration about Marchisio's importance to Juventus was the contract renewal we signed in September 2012 until June 2017 which changed his salary. We would only review the situation if a sensational offer arrived that wasn't in line with the market and that, until this moment, hasn't arrived."

- Marotta | Source: calciomercato.com

I don't see a sensational offer arriving from United.

The Italy international is a fine midfielder. In fact, his energy, ability on the ball, and versatility would certainly improve United's engine room. However, it's very unlikely that the 27-year-old is coming to Old Trafford this summer. For now, it's the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Cesc Fabregas, Kevin Strootman, and Marouane Fellaini that seem more likely as midfield reinforcements this summer. United supporters would probably do well to treat these Marchisio links on the same level as the recent Yohan Cabaye* ones.

* Or if you are Joe Kinnear, his name is 'Yohan Kebab'.