Manchester United and Manchester City have been given hope in the race to sign Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic. The Montenegrin international was believed to be close to a deal with Serie A champions Juventus but the Bianconieri have pulled out of the deal.

The Italians have already signed Argentina striker Carlos Tevez from City and have seen Spaniard Fernando Llorente join on a free from La Liga side Athletic Bilbao.

"We pulled out of the race for Jovetic a while ago. We are satisfied with the signings we've made to boost our attack," Giuseppe Marotta, Juventus' general director, explained.

Stevan Jovetic
Reuters

"Jovetic has become a utopia - it's not because we couldn't sign him, but because we preferred other options. With Tevez, we think we have solved our problems up front," he added.

Both United and City have been linked with the 23-year-old forward, with The Sun claiming both David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini were willing to match a £27m release clause.

Marotta's comments come a day after manager Antonio Conte confirmed Jovetic's asking price was too high.

"He has a high price, which is justified because we are talking about a great player. But at these prices, it is obvious that he will not be going to an Italian team but elsewhere," Conte said.

Also, Conte feels the arrivals of Tevez and Llorente have significantly strengthened his squad. As a result of the big-name arrivals, Italian strikers Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella are understood to be surplus to requirements in Turin.

A report by talkSPORT indicates Matri could be on his way to Everton, assuming there is a financial accord. Juventus want £12m for the 28-year-old, which Roberto Martinez is understood be reluctant to offer. Moreover, Matri himself wants £2.6m per year.

Quagliarella, meanwhile, is interesting Norwich City, according to the Mirror. Chris Hughton needs to replace Grant Holt (who moved to Goodison Park earlier this month) and is willing to bid £6m to bring the Italy international to Carrow Road.

Conte is open to the idea of Matri and Quagliarella leaving, saying: "Now we have six attackers, so we will see what happens."

Finally, news of Jovetic's availability could also alert Arsenal. The Gunners were heavily linked with the forward a few months ago but believed they had lost the player to Juventus and shifted their attention to Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain.

Now, with Marca reporting the Argentine is likely to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu, Arsene Wenger could return for the player.

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