Barcelona star Javier Mascherano has refused to entirely rule out an exit from the club this summer amid speculation linking him with a move to Juventus.
The 32-year-old has been an integral part of the club’s success in recent years, and continued to play an important role for Luis Enrique’s side this past season.
In turn, it’s unlikely that the Catalan giants will be open to letting him leave, but according to Sport, the Argentine defensive ace is in talks with Juve over a summer move.
Although he went some way to insisting that the reports are merely rumours, he stopped short of committing his future to Barca which will naturally lead to further speculation.
“I analyse everything,” Mascherano told TyC Sports, as noted by AS. “It is a rumour. At the moment I am at Barcelona, happy at the club, but I cannot say what will happen.
“There are people at the club who know all I went through during this year, with the problems I had on a personal level. The board, the sporting director know all this clearly.
“I am not talking about an exit, but I always weigh things up. To leave a club like Barcelona you must analyse many things, as there is the chance to win trophies and have a good life.
“But a day will come when all this ends. I don’t know if it will be now, or in one year, or two, or three.”
Mascherano has his reasons for perhaps wanting to leave, with the club looking at bolstering their defensive options this summer while he also has on-going tax-related distractions to deal with in Spain.
Nevertheless, his importance to the side won’t be underestimated and that in turn could lead to Barca reaffirming their desire to keep him. Meanwhile, it’s no surprise that Juve are keen on signing him, with the Bianconeri looking for that step up in quality to allow them to compete in Europe next year.