Juventus close on Pescara starlet Verratti

Posted Wednesday, June 20, 2012 by Goal.com

It has been reported that Napoli have made a late bid to land the teenager midfielder but the Bianconeri now appeared poised to win the race for one of Italy's top young talents

Pescara president Daniele Sebastiani has confirmed that the club are on the verge of agreeing a deal with Juventus that would see Marco Verratti move to Turin next summer.

The 19-year-old playmaker has been repeatedly linked with the Bianconeri in recent months and, despite reports of a bumper offer from Napoli, the Italian champions are now finally set to sign 'the new Andrea Pirlo'.

“The deal is not finalised,” Sebastiani explained to Sky Sport24. "But we spoke today [Tuesday] with [director general Giuseppe] Marotta and [sporting director Fabio] Paratici about the technical elements of the deal.

“Tomorrow [Wednesday] we will meet again with Juventus. We will see what possibilities there are. He will remain with us for next season, in any case. Negotiations are advanced, but not complete.”

Verratti, who played a key role in the Delfini's promotion-winning campaign, is considered one of Italy's most exciting young talents and was included in Cesare Prandelli's provisional panel for Euro 2012.