Various reports in Italy suggest Alex Sandro will leave Juventus this summer as Chelsea are preparing a €70m offer for the Brazilian full-back.

I’m reluctant to buy into the mercato madness, and for the moment it’s just speculation, however somewhat reliable sources are reporting that Alex Sandro ius very tempted by the prospect of joining Chelsea this summer.

There have been assorted rumbling from the usual papers in Italy – Gazzetta Dello Sport, Tuttosport etc. – All of which suggest that Sandro has had his head turned by the chance to earn up to three times more his Juve salary by joining the Premier League champions.

Romeo Agresti, who covers Juventus for Goal Italia, reports today that ‘the moment of truth has arrived‘ for Sandro who has been ‘specifically requested by Antonio Conte‘. He suggests that Juve are sticking firm to the same policy they’ve adopted for the past 5 years: None of the ‘big’ players will be sold, unless they specially ask to leave.

To counter Chelsea’s offer, Agresti reports that Biaconeri directors are prepared to renew Sandro’s contract until 2022 and increase his salary to €5m per season, but they’re fighting a losing battle; Sandro is increasingly likely to accept Chelsea’s offer. Once Juve officially receive a new bid, they will examine the prospect of letting the left-back leave and how to replace him for the coming season.

It’s disappointing to consider losing the full-back, arguably 2nd-best in the world in his position, with only Marcelo ahead of him. His comments in April where he spoke of not wanting to leave Turin echo those from players in summers past, namely Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and Alvaro Morata.

On the plus side, Juve would net double what they paid out for the full-back, money which could be used to find a replacement for both the right and left-back positions.