Juventus Director General and Sports Department CEO Giuseppe Marotta has seemingly refused to rule out a move for Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto.
The former Brazil under-23 international – capped twice – is out of contract in June and widely tipped to join Juventus in the summer transfer window.
Speaking before the Bianconeri’s 2-0 win over Lazio on Sunday, Marotta noted that he was following developments surrounding Neto’s future, but didn"t confirm whether an approach has been made.
"Neto? we"re evaluating situation, at the appropriate time we"ll make our evaluations," he said, as reported by the website of respected Sky Sport Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
If Neto was to make the switch to Juventus, it would be widely considered as controversial.
The Bianconeri are bitter rivals of Fiorentina, while in October 2014, Neto insisted he would nevr join them, stating:
"I’d never go there [Juventus]. My agent hasn’t said anything, but above all I wouldn’t go because that would be to betray the Viola fans."
The 25 year-old, who was signed from Atlético Paranaense for a reported fee of €3.5 million in January 2011, has however, seemingly now altered his stance, but whether he would be prepared to potentially go on loan and wait for legendary Italy international Gianluigi Buffon to step aside remains unclear.