Juventus to rival Newcastle for Sissoko signature

Juventus are ready to battle Newcastle United for the signature of highly-rated Toulouse midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

Speculation the Frenchman would join Alan Pardew's side heightened last week after he described Newcastle as a "fantastic team" that is "attractive to any player".

But reports from Italy suggest Juventus will pull out all the stops to persuade the 23-year-old to reject Newcastle and wear their black-and-white shirt instead.

Sissoko, capped five times by the French national side, is out of contract next summer.

And it is believed Beppe Marotta, Juventus' Director General, has already made tentative enquiries about luring him to Turin.

Marotta will now instruct his team to focus their efforts on sealing a deal for Sissoko, who has been likened to former Juventus man Patrick Vieira.