Juve Lead The Pack Chasing Nesta
Juventus could be emerging as favourites to win the signature of Italy international Alessandro Nesta.
According to Italy's national news agency ANSA, the Turin club officially launched their bid for the player yesterday when club executives met with Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti in Rome.
Nesta's agents were at the meeting.
The player's future has been the source of endless speculation in the past week since Sergio Crangotti's admission that he could go.
"There is no club in the world that would turn down Nesta," Crangotti said.
"We are happy with the interest in him but we are well aware here that we need other great players too, for future battles."
If future battles do not come in the Champions League, however, a competition which gives clubs more spending power for wages, then he is likely to be on the way out.
The Azzurri star is one of the most coveted players in Europe with both Real Madrid and Manchester United also linked with him.
The price-tag on Nesta's head if he does go is expected to be �36million.
His departure would add to the crisis already enveloping Lazio, who are still feeling the wrath of fans for the sale of Pavel Nedved and Juan Sebastien Veron to Juve and Manchester United respectively.
Lazio sacked respected coach Dino Zoff early in the season.
Nesta, who will be 26 later this month, was born in Rome and is unquestionably one of the two best central defenders in Italy - Parma star Fabio Cannavaro, his partner in the Azzurri team, is the other.
Nesta has been at Lazio since the 1992-1993 season and his prowess contributed significantly to the club's scudetto-winning campaign in 1999-2000.
But the club's failure to build on their Serie A title triumph has unsettled Nesta, who has already said that he cannot pledge total loyalty to the club in the future.
"A lot depends on the player but if he does leave Rome then I think he would prefer a move to a big international club," Crangotti said.
"But his proposed departure will also be made after we have laid down our own plans for the future. We need players that will help us to win."
