Juventus turn to Manchester United's Matteo Darmian after Arsenal dismiss Hector Bellerin interest

Juventus have contacted Manchester United over a move to bring Matteo Darmian back to Italy.

With the long-serving Stephan Lichtsteiner set to leave Turin at the end of the campaign, Juventus have drawn up a shortlist of players to reinforce their squad at right-back for next season. Arsenal's Hector Bellerin initially emerged as the club's preferred choice, but, as Barcelona learned last summer, the Gunners have no intention of parting ways with the Spaniard.

Gazzetta dello Sport reported earlier this week Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier, Hoffenheim's Pavel Kaderabek and PSV Eindhoven's Santiago Arias also feature on a list of potential signings along with former Torino star Darmian.

Calcio Mercato now claim Juventus have placed Darmian at the top of their list and have already made contact with United over a deal. They claim the 20-time English champions are not prepared to let the Italy international leave during the January transfer window, with the talks to centre on a move that would take place in the summer.

Darmian, who has been limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions this season, has also attracted interest from Spain in Valencia. Despite reports to the contrary, Los Che believes they can strike a deal with United during the mid-season window and according to Onda Cero, have also opened negotiations with the club, who are said to be demanding €15m (£13.3m, $18.4m) to part ways with his services.

The Independent also report United are coming around to the idea of cashing in on the Italy international this month, a stance that could prompt Juventus to bring their own interest forward.

Darmian was brought to Old Trafford during Louis van Gaal's reign in charge in 2015 with hope of solving the club's long-term problem at right-back. But after failing to offer a permanent solution, Antonio Valencia has since gone on to make the position his own with the Italian very much a bit-part player under Jose Mourinho.