1 June 2007, by Sean Gillen

Tiago keen on Juventus switch

Speculation mounts regarding move to Italy

Portuguese international Tiago has admitted that he would find it difficult to turn down a move to Juventus, after the Serie A club approached Lyon for the midfielder.

According to president Jean-Michel Aulas, the French champions have been contacted by the Bianconeri about both Tiago and Brazilian defender Cris.

“We’ve received offers from Juventus for Cris and Tiago. We’ve already told them each one of them is worth 20 million euros,” Aulas said.

Tiago responded to the revelation by saying: “It would be a dream for me to play football in the country that is World Champions. Milan or Juventus would be ideal clubs for me.”

It is the second time in around six weeks that the former Benfica and Chelsea man has stated a desire to move on in the summer, having told reporters in April: “It’s obvious that I have ambition and of course if a big club comes in for me I’ll have to weigh things up.”

Juventus will return to the Italian top flight next season after a year in Serie B as punishment for their part in last summer’s match-fixing scandal. It has been reported that the club will have close to 100 million euros to spend in the close season in a bid to challenge for the title next year.

If Tiago does move on, it would be the 26-year-old’s third transfer in three years, all of which have seen him move countries.

Related: Tiago PortuGOAL profile