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www.onefootball.com
(A Noticia do dia mas agora num site inglês o Onefootball.com)
Juventus have joined Barcelona in the race to sign Benfica forward Pedro Mantorras, who has a £53 million buy-out clause.
"It is an honour that Juventus are interested in me," the Angola international said. "Juventus are a great club and play in one of the best leagues in the world.
"Everyone wants to play there. I've had other offers and destiny will have its say. The decision is for the board of Benfica."
Mantorras spurned advances from both Internazionale and Arsenal to join Benfica, agreeing a four-year deal with the Lisbon club in April 2001 before going on to finish the season as top scorer with Alverca.
Mantorras failed to score in his first two games for Benfica this season, but bounced back with a hat-trick against Vitoria Setubal and has impressed as Benfica have enjoyed their best start to a Primiera Liga season in a 13 years.
Benfica are heavily in debt as they fund the construction of their new stadium and will be tempted to cash in on their prize asset, but sports director Luis Filipe Vieira warned in September that Mantorras would not leave cheaply.
"Mantorras is a humble young man," he explained. " He wants to make a career for himself at Benfica and therefore we will not sell him at the end of this season.
"He will stay two more years and then we'll only consider an offer of at least £53 million. This is the player's wish too."
Juve will fight with Barcelona for the inspirational teenager. Benfica persuaded the Catalan club to sell Simao Sabrosa to them by offering the added incentive of first refusal on Mantorras.
Juve have been in the market for a striker since Chile striker Marcelo Salas was ruled out for the rest of the season with damaged ligaments in his right knee in a match against Bologna in October.
Coach Marcello Lippi has little cover for David Trezeguet, Alessandro del Piero and Nicola Amoruso and is expected to add to his squad over the winter break.
Udinese veteran Roberto Muzzi and Atalanta's Cristiano Doni remain targets, but Lippi believes he may have found a temporary replacement in Uruguay striker Marcelo Zalayeta who was recalled to the Stadio delle Alpi last week.
After two years on loan to Seville, Zalayeta was left without a club at the end of last season as Juve had filled their non-EU quota, but he seized his chance on Sunday night with a goal in Juve's 2-1 Coppa Italia win away to Sampdoria.
"Zalayeta was the surprise of the night," Lippi said. "Especially considering that he hadn't played a proper match in five months. He has really come on in the past year and I am sure he will be really useful to us."
The spotlight will turn back on Mantorras on Wednesday when he lines up for Angola against Portugal in a friendly in Lisbon.
"The Portuguese team is very strong and is one of the best in the world," he said. "We will play our football and do our best, but Portugal are superior."