by Tom Sanders
Juventus are reportedly lining up a mammoth €260 million bid for PSG's Kylian Mbappe, with the Italian giants looking to square up against Real Madrid in the upcoming battle to secure the young Frenchman's signature.
Despite already boasting the enormous talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus are keen to look to the future as they seek to build a new, all-conquering side comprised of some of the best young prospects in Europe, and they're prepared to spend big to make it happen.
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PSG striker Mbappe set the World Cup alight with a series of scintillating performances in Russia last year, becoming both the tournament's joint-highest goalscorer and only the second teenager in history (behind Pele) to score the winning goal in a world cup final.
Now Juventus have identified Mbappe as the 'next Ronaldo'- a player capable of scoring goals and winning games out of nothing, and have identified the 20-year old as their top priority to replace CR7 as he prepares to enter the twilight years of his career.
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Speaking at an annual meeting of shareholders, Juve chairman Paolo Aicardi mapped out the club's three-year plan to usher in a new generation of superstars as the club seek to compete for their first Champions League title since 1996.
"Ronaldo was the end point of a plan that started eight years ago when [Mirko] Vucinic was our star signing," Aicardi said.
"From him to Cristiano there were various steps: Tevez, Khedira... these signings show that Juventus are bringing in the biggest names in football.
"When Cristiano, the number one, arrived, it was made clear that now any player can choose Juventus ahead of Real Madrid, Manchester United or Barca.
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"Today everything is possible and the signing of [Matthijs] De Ligt is proof of that. Our next idea is to sign the new Cristiano Ronaldo, but a younger version."
But although Juventus haven't been afraid to splash the cash over the past few seasons, signing Mbappe won't come cheap- PSG have placed a 260 million Euro price tag on his head to dissuade any potential suitors, and the club also face stiff competition from Real Madrid, who are also looking to replace a Ronaldo-sized hole in their front three.
The CIES Football Observatory reported findings in early November that Mbappe was the most valuable forward in Europe; beating Harry Kane, Neymar and Mo Salah to the top spot.
Most expensive big-5 league forwards from a transfer value perspective according to @CIES_Football algorithm #Mbappé #Kane #Neymar #Salah #Coutinho Top 10 per position at football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/b5wp…
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But while Juventus have shown new ambition in terms of their transfer policy as of late, tempting a club like PSG into selling their most asset will not be easy.
What this shows without a shadow of a doubt though is that when it comes to young European talent, Kylian Mbappe is in a league of his own.