There’s Pjanic on the streets of Turin

Daniel Storey

Juventus are close to announcing the signing of Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic.

The news will come as a blow to both Chelsea and Liverpool, both of whom were thought to hold significant interest in the midfielder.

Juventus used Twitter on Monday morning to publish a picture of Pjanic at their training base, with the player thought to be undergoing a medical. Juventus will pay £30m for the Bosnian.

Pjanic, 26, joined Roma in 2011 from Lyon, signed for a fee of around £8million. That now looks a bloody bargain.

Pjanic is basically a playmaker, but happier in a deeper role than a traditional No. 10. His passing, vision and dribbling are up there with any other player in Serie A, meaning Juventus have effectively eliminated the title challenge of one of their closest rivals.

Anyone hoping that Serie A might get more competitive should probably think again.