Six Juventus stars at risk of axe including Man Utd and Chelsea targets Douglas Costa and Alex Sandro after crisis talks
JUVENTUS lost top spot of Serie A on the weekend and SIX big name players could leave if they miss out on a ninth-straight Scudetto.
In particular, the doubts over Douglas Costa and Alex Sandro's futures could reignite interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
Playmaker Costa, 29, was a summer target for the Old Trafford club with their hunt for fresh attacking talent far from over.
United's interest in doing a deal was "strong", agent Giovanni Branchini claimed last year, and they were not alone in sniffing around the Brazilian.
Indeed, the Red Devils and Chelsea first sounded out a switch almost five years ago when Costa was preparing to leave Shakhtar Donetsk.
And, according to , he could be on the move again if Juve push ahead with a squad overhaul.
Fellow Chelsea target Alex Sandro is another on the list of six first-teamers up for the chop.
One surprise name under threat is Miralem Pjanic, who has remained a consistent fixture in Maurizio Sarri's team throughout the season.
So had Blaise Matuidi until his recent dropping amid Juve's sudden downturn, the defending champions losing two away games in a row as Napoli and Hellas Verona sent them tumbling off top spot.
Completing the sextet reportedly nearing the exit door are Gonzalo Higuain and Federico Bernardeschi.
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They were among the players sternly reminded of what is expected of them following Saturday's loss in Verona.
Juve president Andrea Agnelli is said to have addressed the squad at their Continassa training base, where he also watched over part of the day's drills.
Senior players such as Gianluigi Buffon and Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to motivate their colleagues following calls to arms by vice-chairman Pavel Nedved and CEO Fabio Paratici.
The Old Lady have already identified one possible addition to push them towards greater success next season, Pep Guardiola understood to be their No1 target if the Spaniard leaves Manchester City.