The newly-crowned Italian champions are expected to strengthen in the summer in preparation for Champions League football next season, with a new frontman high on the wishlist.

The Bianconeri had been interested in bringing Van Persie to Turin, but the Dutch international is now in a tug-of-war between Arsenal and Manchester City, and as such Juventus are ready to drop their pursuit.

Suarez has been involved in controversies on and off the pitch this season for the Reds, and the Italian giants are eyeing up a move for the Uruguayan.

Meanwhile, Dzeko is fourth choice in Roberto Mancini’s preferences in attack at City, and is widely expected to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer in search of regular first-team football.

By Gareth McKnight

As we sit here on the day of the Champions League final between Chelsea and Bayern Munich, I decided to take a look back down memory lane at the great European Cup finals of all time. There have been some classic finals in the past decades and we can hope tonight’s showpiece in Munich proves to be another one of those occasions.

Manchester United 4 Benfica 1 (1968)

The Red Devils became the first English side to win the European cup, and what made it sweeter was the fact it was won at Wembley (perhaps a good omen for SAF tomorrow). The game is remembered for European footballer of the year and football writer’s Footballer of the Year, George Best’s ‘wonder’ goal, but it could have been so different for United if goalkeeper Alex Stepney hadn’t saved from Eusebio, when the score was 1-1, when the Benfica forward broke through in the final moments. United sealed an emphatic win in extra time, with ‘that’ goal from Best, another from 19 year old Brian Kidd and another from Bobby Charlton.

Celtic 2 Inter Milan 1 (1967)

Celtic broke Britain’s European duck, in a remarkable game of attack versus defence, with the Scottish club managing 42 attempts on goal, with the Italians only achieving a measly five. Inter Milan took the lead on seven minutes via a Sandro Mazzola penalty, but that is as good as it got for the Italians, with Celtic unleashing wave after wave after attack, which eventually paid dividends with Tommy Gemmell and a deflected Bobby Murdoch shot, sealing the win.

Manchester United 2 Bayern Munich 1 (2000)

Everyone related with the German giants started to celebrate when the clock ticked over the 90 minute mark but 36 seconds later, the party was abruptly halted thanks to a Teddy Sheringham equaliser. Everybody began readying themselves for extra time but somebody forgot to tell Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who scored a dramatic winner on 92 minutes and 17 seconds to clinch the Treble for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.

Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (Liverpool win 3-2 on pens) (2005)

AC Milan fans are still recovering from this historic night in Istanbul, where Liverpool achieved, what was deemed impossible at half time. 3-0 down against a stereotypical Italian defence, the game basically over, but in a mad seven minute spell Liverpool showed us all why we love the beautiful game with Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso completing a sensational come back, to take the game to extra time and eventually penalties, which of course the Merseyside outfit won.

Real Madrid 7 Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (1960)

This cup final is viewed by many as the greatest European final ever, and it is hard to argue against with ten goals, two hat tricks (Ferenc Puskas 4 and Alfredo di Stefano 3) and world record number of fans at Hampden Park (127,261). This victory was Real Madrid’s fifth consecutive European Cup final victory in a row.

Benfica 5 Real Madrid 3 (1962)

Real Madrid were looking to reclaim their European dominance after Benfica had taken the trophy the year before, and with two early goals from Puskas it looked like Madrid would do just that. However within ten minutes Benfica were level again, only for Puskas to complete his hat trick before half time. Benfica managed to draw level in the second half and eventually went on to retain their crown with two goals in four minutes from Eusebio.

Nottingham Forest 1 Malmo 0 (1979)

Just two seasons earlier Forest were playing in the old second division, something of a fairytale football story. If that wasn’t enough of a story for you, UEFA rules meant that Trevor Francis Britain’s first £1 million signing couldn’t play in European matches for three months, which meant the Cup final was the former Birmingham City man’s Euro debut, a huge gamble by Old Big ‘Ead but one that paid off with Francis netting the winner.

Milan 4 Ajax 1 (1969)

This Milan performance destroyed the cliché of Italian football being negative and defensive, with Pierino Prati scoring the last hat trick in a European final to date. This Ajax side would eventually go on to be European Champions three years in a row in the early 1970s.

Real Madrid 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1 (2002)

A very close encounter with Raul opening the scoring after eight minutes for Madrid but Leverkusen’s Lucio levelled the score only five minutes later. It is what happened in the 45th minute that gets this game onto such lists, arguably one of the greatest UEFA Champions League goals was scored by Zinedine Zidane who volleyed a high arcing cross from Roberto Carlos into the top corner from the edge of the area, a goal worthy to win any match, especially a cup final.

Borussia Dortmund 3 Juventus 1 (1997)

Everyone loves an underdog and the German’s duly obliged in giving us a victorious one. The German’s went 2-0 up before Del Piero (who else) pulled a goal back but Dortmund sealed the win with a Lars Ricksen goal, 16 seconds after he came on as a substitute, which was and still is the faster goal by a substitute in the Champions League ever.

The Italy international defender is one of the nation’s most respected players, and will represent his country at Euro 2012 after a good domestic season.

Chiellini’s form, versatility and leadership has been a key reason for a stingy Bianconeri defence this term, with the Turin giants claiming the Scudetto title in an impressive unbeaten season.

Roberto Mancini is looking at a number of transfer targets, including Robin van Persie and Eden Hazard, but also wants to bulk up his options at the back.

The move for Chiellini is expected to be funded by the sales of Nigel de Jong and Aleksandar Kolarov, who are wanted by Inter.

By Gareth McKnight

The Serbian centre half has been injured for the majority of the season with cruciate ligament damage, after picking up the injury against Basel in the Champions League back in December.

With a raft of younger central defenders coming through the ranks at Old Trafford, rumours were rife that Vidic may well be shipped on once the transfer window reopens.

Juventus are thought to be long-term admirers of the eastern European defender, but Silvano Martina has rubbished a potential move to Turin for his client.

“Vidic is still out with a cruciate ligament injury,” he told Italian reporters, translated to English by Mirror Football.

“A future in Italy? You have to consider that he has a non-EU passport, and that would make it difficult for him to arrive in Serie A.

“I can assure you that I have never spoken with Juventus about Nemanja,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

The Ivory Coast international’s deal with the west London club expires in the summer, with no hint of a renewal as yet.

It is believed that Chelsea want to sign a big name forward this summer, with the likes of Hulk, Gonzalo Higuain and Edinson Cavani linked with moves to the Champions League finalists.

However, after Drogba scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final first leg, the Catalan giants have been weighing up a move to bring the African marksman to Camp Nou this summer.

Reports in the Spanish press indicate that Barcelona were pleased with their experiment of taking on Henrik Larsson despite his age back in 2006, and feel Drogba’s experience could be an asset to the club.

Meanwhile, Juventus are also in the race to sign Drogba, and are also looking to the Premier League this summer for transfer targets.

The Turin giants are on the verge of winning Serie A and reports in Italy suggest that Antonio Conte’s men have drawn up a shortlist of English-based strikers to try and bring to Italy, with a £35 million war chest to spend.

Drogba, Luis Suarez, Carlos Tevez and Robin van Persie are all thought to be in the Bianconeri’s cross-hairs.

By Gareth McKnight

The latest player to be linked with a move abroad is Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, who is believed to be attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan, after his comments regarding Spurs’ Champions league hopes.

The Welshman may well turn out to be hit if he swaps the British Isles for the Continent, yet he may want to look at a few examples of home-grown players who have failed to adapt to a new footballing culture.

This list runs through 15 British players who have failed to adapt to the footballing culture of other nations:

Click on Woodgate below to unveil the failed brits abroad

Any I missed? Let me know on Twitter @Alex_Hams

The Serbia international attacking midfielder has found first-team opportunities in Turin limited this season under Antonio Conte, and is very likely to leave the Italian giants in the summer.

It is believed that Fenerbahce have started a battle for the eastern European player’s signature by bidding £10 million for him, with the Premier League dup now being sparked into action.

Krasic revealed that Tottenham made an offer to Juventus to take him on loan in January, but that he decided to stay in Italy to try and fight for a place in the team.

However, with little-to-no opportunities to play, Krasic is set to leave, with the London rivals both keen to add him to their squads.

By Gareth McKnight

The name Paul Pogba has donned the lips of many a Red Devils fan this season with the Frenchman representing just the latest star off the clubs production line we should all be making a song and dance about. The domineering Pogba who plays central midfield and stands at an impressive 6ft1 despite his slender 19 years has figured increasingly in recent months, amidst a refusal to end speculation surrounding his future.

Pogba is yet to sign a contract extension at Old Trafford and is increasingly irking the decisions of Sir Alex Ferguson in rewarding him with a first team berth, amid head turning interest from Juventus and the reported offer of a four-year deal worth some £20,000 a week. Whilst the Frenchman is keeping his options open, this indecisive behaviour is upsetting not only the manager who has subsequently dropped Pogba to the reserves and back again but supporters also with questions about greed reaching prevalence.

With the grass not always greener elsewhere, Ravel Morrison has found that being an ex-Manchester United player doesn’t always mean you’re given the divine right to feature somewhere else so readily, with the midfielder receiving just ten minutes in game time at West Ham following his January transfer window move. It remains whether Morrison will do a John Bostock and embark on a career shrouded in disappointment and what could’ve been or whether he can eventually play up to the reputation once billed. After all, Morrison is still young, and West Ham remains in the pressure cooker environment of a Championship promotion battle where experience counts ever so greatly.

However, in the case of Pogba, Manchester United will in the short-term be looking for a midfield successor to Paul Scholes and following Darren Fletcher’s extended break from football to deal with his ongoing ulcerative colitis, first team chances in central midfield for Pogba might not be as far away as first imaginable. It just seems as if Pogba would be walking away right at the time where he just might be on the fringes of real contention at Old Trafford.

In March, Pogba appeared three times from the dugout appearing for the longest spell against Wolves where he clocked up over half an hour on the field after replacing Michael Carrick. Comfortable in possession and sturdy with an eye for a pass, it is easy to see why Juventus have taken an interest in the France Under-19 international.

Of course, if Pogba did flee the riches of Manchester, he mightn’t be making such a big mistake as first thought. It’s hard to believe now but one Gerard Pique sat on the United bench coming on for a twenty minute cameo in a Carling Cup Third Round tie at Gresty Road, Crewe in October 2004. After departing the club as a youngster in 2008, the centre back has gone on to become one of the most critically acclaimed centre halves in the game with Barcelona. Similarly, Giuseppe Rossi fled to the bright lights of La Liga in 2007 and has gone on to strike over half a century of goals for Villarreal. Two shining examples serving as evidence that United kids can get their kicks elsewhere, but Pogba’s departure would be a risk, considering the appealing prestige and traditions of his current employers.

Only time will tell, but one thing is sure; Sir Alex Ferguson won’t be crossed more than once and Pogba will have to swiftly make his mind up just where his future lies.

How good is Paul Pogba? Does his long-term future remain at Old Trafford? Would he be making a mistake in engineering a move to foreign shores? I want to hear your views United fans @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

The Juventus man is clearly out of favour in Turin but the Serb is likely to seek pastures new when the transfer window re-opens at the end of the season.

Krasic who has opted to stick the current Serie A season out despite reported winter window interest from Spurs, will retain his value regardless of a lack of playing time according to the players representative Vlado Borozon.

‘Juventus intend to at least recover the money (15.5 million euros) they spent on signing Milos Krasic’ (TalkSport)

The winger who possesses a canny resemblance to former Old Lady hero Pavel Nedved made his name in Russia with CSKA Moscow with his elusive and technical dribbling skills from the flank.

However, he has struggled to rediscover this form in Italy and most recently appeared for Antonio Conte’s side in a January home draw with Cagliari.

It remains whether Chelsea will plump for the wide man in what is likely to be a summer of rebuilding at Stamford Bridge. What’s sure is that Krasic will be seeking a permanent transfer following Lazio’s failed bid to take the player on loan in the past.

The President of the Italian giants, Andrea Agnelli, has spoken of his desire to buy big in the summer, so to restore the Old Lady to its former glories. One of his known targets is believed to be Arsenal’s top goal scorer Robin Van Persie who is still reluctant to sign a new contract with his club and is set to assess his options in the summer.

The Serie A giants are also said to be interested in Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who has experienced quite a mixed season on Merseyside and who maybe open to move to get away after growing frustrated with the media attention he has recieved in light of the Patrice Evra affair.

Juventus have been undergoing somewhat of a resurgence in Serie A this season and currently sit in second place, four points shy of leaders AC Milan and its clear they see strengthening their strikeforce will go some way towards cementing their place back among Serie A’s elite in the seasons to come.