Juventus march on

Ambitious Serie A champions Juventus will be looking to maintain their 100 percent start to the season in an away match at Genoa which is the first of an impressive run of seven in 23 days. Antonio Conte's side is aiming for four trophies this season and while recently acquiring Denmark international Nicklas Bendtner, the "Old Lady of Turin" has eyes for a striker with arguably more to offer.

Juventus's trip to Genoa will be short, but next week they travel to Chelsea and then face Cheivo, Fiorentina and Roma before hosting Shakhtar in Europe and then league minnows Siena in early October.

It is no wonder the club's director general, Beppe Moratto, is intent on bolstering a squad some observers feel has a real chance in Europe this season.

"If there's one Italian side that can excel in the Champions League this season it's Juventus," Gianluca Vialli, who won the trophy with Juve and also played with their group rivals Chelsea, told Tuttosport in midweek.

Spain international Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao remains Juve's main target, especially as Fiorentina have included an "anti-Juve" clause in the contract of their Montenegrin international Stevan Jovetic.

Moratta said: "He (Jovetic) could be a very useful player for us, but it will be up to Fiorentina to decide his future."

Whether Bendtner will get a chance for Juventus soon remains to be seen, although Moratta says the former Arsenal man has impressed Conte in training. "The first judgment of Conte is very positive," he added.

Juventus are one of only four teams – along with Napoli, Lazio and Sampdoria – to have won their first two games of the season.

It means the other title favourites, AC Milan and Inter, need three points this weekend if they are to keep the pressure on the Turin giants. Milan will be hoping striker Giampaolo Pazzini, who scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Bologna a fortnight ago, shakes off a knock he received in training Thursday.

If Pazzini is given the all-clear, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri could decide to give new signing Bojan Krcic, the Spanish international who arrived from Barcelona, a run-out with the Italy international. A fitness test on Friday should determine whether Allegri decides to risk Pazzini three days ahead of Milan's Champions League group stage opener against Anderlecht.

Milan are already missing Robinho, Alexandre Pato, Riccardo Montolivo and Ignazio Abate but the good news is that midfielder Kevin Prince Boateng is set to play with a newly-fitted arm brace following surgery on a fractured hand bone last week.

San Siro rivals Inter make the short trip to Torino looking to make up for their stunning home defeat to a Francecso Totti-inspired Roma two weeks ago.

Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni, however, could will be without Rodrigo Palacio after he picked up a knock playing for Argentina in midweek.

Antonio Cassano, who scored Inter's goal in the 3-1 reverse to Roma, is expected to play in support of Argentinian striker Diego Milito with Dutchman Wesley Sneijder providing the service to the attacking duo.

Roma, who sit fifth, host Bologna at the Olympic Stadium looking to replicate the performance which humbled Inter two weeks ago.

Bologna are one of seven teams, the others being Cagliari, Udinese, Palermo, Pescara, Atalanta and Siena, who have yet to win.

Napoli and Lazio will be expected to maintain their perfect start with games respectively against Parma and Chievo.

Fixtures:

Saturday

Palermo v Cagliari
AC Milan v Atalanta

Sunday

Chievo v Lazio
Napoli v Parma
Genoa v Juventus
Pescara v Sampdoria
Roma v Bologna
Fiorentina v Catania
Siena v Udinese
Torino v Inter

The Swiss Ramble: UEFA's FFP Regulations - Play To Win

So the transfer window is finally over after the customary twists and turns and, as always, has raised some intriguing question... more here>>>  The Swiss Ramble: UEFA's FFP Regulations - Play To Win

Juventus looking sign Theo Walcott

It has been reported that Juventus are plotting to test Arsenal's resolve to keep Theo Walcott by tabling a £10m offer for the winger.

The 23-year-old has entered the last 12 months of his contract after snubbing a long-term deal worth £75,000 a week.

Could he be Marotta's next signing?

Arsenal are unwilling to meet Walcott's demands for £100,000 a week and Italian giants Juventus are ready to make a fresh move to beat off interest from Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea.

The Gunners decided not to sell Walcott before the transfer deadline after the England international told manager Arsene Wenger he wanted to stay at the Emirates.  An insider was quoted in as saying: 'Juve have been interested in Walcott for some time but we are coming to the decisive moment.

Drogba rejected offer from Juventus worth more than £4million

Didier Drogba rejected a deadline day offer from Juventus worth more than £4million a year to stay in China. There has been intense speculation over Drogba’s future at Shanghai Shenhua since a dispute between the club’s owners became public last week.

The Ivory Coast international, who left Chelsea as a free agent in the summer, agreed a contract worth £200,000 a week but Shanghai’s chairman Zhu Jun threatened to stop paying the striker’s salary unless the club increased his stake to 70 per cent.

Juventus tested the 34-year-old’s resolve to stay there, with sources in France claiming he was offered a two-year contract on the final day of the transfer window which would have made him their second highest paid player behind Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The Serie A champions were prepared to pay him around £76,000-a-week, plus a bonus of £400,000 if he played in 70 per cent of matches.

However, Drogba rejected the deal so Juventus signed Nicklas Bendtner on loan from Arsenal, only to publicly admit that the Dane was not their first choice.

Drogba is on international duty ­preparing for Ivory Coast’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Senegal tomorrow but significantly wrote a ­message to Shanghai’s supporters on his personal weibo account earlier this week. He said: “Hello to the fans. I am in the Ivory Coast for the African Cup of Nations eliminator. See you soon.”