Juve boss Allegri admits interest in Douglas Costa

On the heels of a record sixth successive Scudetto, Juventus boss Max Allegri admits that while improving his current squad will be a challenge, he has targetted three players as potential additions.

In a candid discussion with Sky Sport Italia, Allegri concedes that the Old Lady is interested in acquiring Bayern Munich winger Douglas Costa, Sampdoria stud Patrik Schick, and Arsenal shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny.

"(Douglas Costa) is one of our objectives, he's a very good player," Allegri said, with translation courtesy of ESPN FC. "Schick has not arrived yet, but he does things that are out of the ordinary, while (Sevilla's Steven) N'Zonzi is not a player I have asked for."

Allegri's quotes will dispel speculation of N'Zonzi's reported move to Turin, while transfers for Costa, Schick, and Szczesny appear to be at various stages.

Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has already said that Czech Republic international striker Schick is on his way to Juve with reports suggesting that the two parties have agreed on a €25-million fee for the 21-year-old.

While the Schick move appears all but done, a switch for Costa may prove more complicated, but for the Brazilian international winger, it's a transfer that makes plenty of sense.

After starring for the Bavarian behemoth in his debut campaign following a swap from Shakhtar Donetsk, Costa made just 14 Bundesliga starts this season, and with the addition of fellow right-sided player Serge Gnabry, his spell in Germany is now at risk. As it stands, Costa, 26, has three years remaining on his deal at the Allianz.

Like Schick, the addition of Szczesny appears to be in an advanced stage after the Gunner academy product impressed this season on loan with Roma.

"It's not done. I know that when I get back, Juve will have signed players who improve the squad, but that's not easy because we've reached such a high level now that there are only a few players around who fit the bill. To move on, you need to find players who complete the areas where we are most lacking," Allegri added.

In a consistently unequivocal spirit, Allegri also refuted speculation of a move for the Italian international pairing of Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti and AC Milan's Mattia De Sciglio.

"He's a great player, but he's a PSG player and I think he's going to stay in Paris," Allegri said about Verratti, while quashing talk of an offer for De Sciglio with, "We're fine in defence."

"Numerically, the squad is done, apart from up front. We will just need to replace those who leave, but the club are very good at this."