Manchester United could part with Nani to land Juventus midfielder

Manchester United were first said to be interested in signing Juventus central midfielder Claudio Marchisio back in the summer, and according to Italian newspaper Tuttosport, haven't given up the chase. The Turin-based paper has suggested that Nani could be the key to unlocking this deal, with the Serie A champions having reportedly tracked United's Portuguese winger for some time.

It's a rumour which makes some sense, given that Marchisio hasn't featured as regularly in Juve's starting 11 this season -- mainly thanks to the breakthrough of a certain Paul Pogba. What's more, with the bianconeri having been linked with a couple of other wingers of late, including Paris Saint-Germain's Jérémy Ménez, Nani could well tick all of their boxes.

However, Tuttosport noted that Marchisio has no intention of leaving Turin this January, and Juve won't sell unless United come up with "an offer you can't refuse," which clearly means a simple exchange isn't on the cards. United would have to stump up some cash too.

Is shelling out for Marchisio worth it? He's a player who often goes missing -- worryingly in the biggest games -- and he's now 27 years old. But then again, he couldn't fail to be an upgrade on United's current central midfield options, and offers an energetic box-to-box game which means he could pretty comfortably slot into David Moyes' side. He wouldn't be first preference, though would definitely improve this team.