Juventus are set to step up their interest in Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross after an abysmal defensive display last night.
The Turin giants have been tracking the former England Under-21 defender for the past few months since England coach Fabio Capello named him in the squad for the friendly against Egypt in March.
Juventus took notice because Capello's opinion is held in high regard at the club he led to the Serie A Scudetto in 2005 and 2006, although they were subsequently stripped of the titles.
And after a disastrous start to the campaign where Juve have been leaking goals at the back, club officials are set to step up their interest in the 22-year-old Shawcross - who has a contract at Stoke until 2014.
Juventus lost 3-1 at home to Palermo last night and the feeling in Turin is that they will try to sign a defender in January, with Shawcross high on their list of targets.