Marotta confirms Juventus interest in Sampdoria striker Schick

Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta has confirmed the club is interested in signing striker Patrik Schick from Sampdoria, but denied there have been talks between the Serie A clubs.

Schick has hit three goals in his last four Sampdoria appearances to reach double figures in Serie A and the 21-year-old is regarded as one of the league’s hottest talents.

But while Marotta said Schick is a player who is on Juve’s radar, he denied reports the club have met with Sampdoria to try to agree a deal for the Czech Republic international at the end of the season.

“We add pieces every year and also next year we’ll see if there will be opportunities,” the director told Premium Sport. “I think everyone likes Schick, he’s young, an interesting player.

“We haven’t had any meetings or offers though, we learned about these ‘negotiations’ through newspapers, we didn’t speak with Samp.”

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Replacing 39-year-old Gianluigi Buffon is likely to be one of Juve’s biggest challenges in the transfer window and Marotta accepted finding a successor for the veteran goalkeeper will be tricky.

“We continue to enjoy Buffon, he’s an eternal youngster,” Marotta said.

“From a professional and a human point of view he’s someone who offers motivation, he’s a man for the dressing room and we still want him for a long time.

“He’s one of the best in the history of Italian football and it’s difficult to find a successor to him.”

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Marotta is also hoping to tie Massimiliano Allegri down to a new contract, with the coach’s deal set to expire at the end of next season.

“We’re very happy with what Allegri does,” Marotta said. “The renewal will come automatically.”