The 22-year-old defender has enjoyed a superb season at Eastlands but could still find himself on the fringes of the squad next season if City are successful in their pursuit of Ajax full-back Gregory van der Wiel.
Richards wanted to join Tottenham last summer and is again ready to consider his future at the end of the season, when he will have two years left on his contract. City hope to convince the Birmingham-born defender to sign a new deal but the player wants to keep his options open.
Goal.com understands Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta made an enquiry for Richards in the January transfer window and is ready to return in the summer as the Serie A club look to solve their problem right-back position.
The 27-time Italian champions have previously been linked with Liverpool and England right-back Glen Johnson as well as Chelsea's Jose Bosingwa.
The England international is believed to be willing to listen to any proposal, although a switch to Turin could depend on who is in charge of Juventus, with coach Luigi Delneri expected to be sacked at the end of the season because the club are almost certain to miss out on qualification for next season's Champions League.
Richards made his City debut as a 17-year-old in 2005 but has struggled to fulfil his potential, despite impressing this season as the club look set to finish in the top four and qualify for next term's Champions League.
He has a poor relationship with City manager Roberto Mancini after the Italian singled him out for criticism last season, while he was also unsettled by the Eastlands club's failed pursuit of Barcelona star Daniel Alves.
Richards has been out of action for a month with a hamstring injury but is expected to return for the trip to Blackburn on Monday night.
The playmaker joined Juventus on a one-year loan from Liverpool last summer and the Old Lady have the option to make the move permanent.
Aquilani was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport: "My situation is simple. It all depends on Juventus - if they want to, they can buy me without asking anyone's opinion.
"I would like to stay in Turin for a long time and win a lot. I want to be a protagonist in the new winning cycle that is opening up at Juventus. I have no doubt that Juve's project is a winner, they just need a little patience."
Aquilani went on to say that he's pleased to have shaken off his injury problems.
"I played with great continuity, without any particular problems," he said. "I finally removed the tag of me always being injured. I knew I was healthy, that I was just unlucky in the past, but in football people just want to label someone."
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish revealed earlier this week that there's a chance that Aquilani will return to Anfield Road this summer, but the 26-year-old seems to have set his sights on a definitive stay in Italy.
Versatile midfielder Alfred N'Diaye has attracted the interest of Juventus with his good performances for Nancy in the past couple of months, according to Il Corriere dello Sport.
The Old Lady are keen to add some more depth to their squad in the summer transfer window and sporting director Giuseppe Marotta reportedly considers the 21-year-old to be a useful addition to Juve's squad.
The holding midfielder, who can also play in defence, is a product of the Nancy youth academy and made his official debut for the French outfit in the 2007-08 campaign.
N'Diaye has made over 50 appearances for Nancy since making his first appearance and has already been capped at under-21 level for France.
Juventus have already seen N'Diaye live in action on more than occasion and will continue to monitor his progress in the closing stages of the season.
