Juventus & Inter could be embarked in new tug-of-war for young Serie A striker | OneFootball

It wouldn’t be a transfer session without at least one duel between arch-rivals Juventus and Inter so the young Santiago Castro could be the object of the two clubs’ next Mercato skirmish.

The 20-year-old joined Bologna in January and made his Serie A debut with Thiago Motta at the helm. However, he wasn’t a regular starter during his first few months of the season, as Joshua Zirkzee was still the toast of the town at the time.

But with the Dutchman joining Manchester United in the summer, the young Argentine emerged as Vincenzo Italiano’s first-choice striker this season, and has responded by scoring five goals and providing six assists in 21 appearances across all competitions thus far.

The Buenos Aires native’s exploits at the Renato Dall’Ara haven’t gone unnoticed. According to Calciomercato.it via TuttoJuve, Juventus and Inter are both keeping tabs on Castro who has also attracted foreign interest, particularly from the Premier League.

For their part, Bologna would be looking to register major profits. The Rossoblu bought the youngster for just 5 million euros at the beginning of the year, but his market value has now soared to 30 million, explains the source. This figure could further rise if he continues to deliver the goods with the Champions League new boys.

So while the player is expected to remain with the Emilian club until the end of the season, a summer tug-of-war is already brewing between the two Derby d’Italia rivals.

Bologna started the campaign on a relatively slow note, dropping many points early in the season, but they managed to climb their way into the table on the back of an impressive run, partially thanks to Castro’s exploits.

The Rossoblu are now in 7th place, breathing down Juve’s neck, as they only trail the Old Lady by three points and have a match in hand.