Juventus have told Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic they want to make him a first-choice centre-half.

The 26-year-old's agent has tried to play down links with Juventus, but reports in Turin insist Ivanovic is the No 1 target to solve Luigi Del Neri's defensive problems.

The underachieving giants want improvements across the defence and Ivanovic's versatility would be attractive, but the prospect of mostly deploying him at centre half could be attractive.

But Juventus must show their hand soon to stop Ivanovic signing a new Stamford Bridge.