One eye on reinforcements and one on accounts. We don’t live on exchanges alone, but they often help. Especially when ideas are more than money to invest. Juventus opened the market with the Douglas Luiz-Barrenechea-Iling Jr maxi-operation and could also follow similar paths to reach other objectives. Deal calls for deal: one manager knocks, the other raises and widens the table. Cristiano Giuntoli and Monchi, sporting director of Aston Villa ex Roma, started from Douglas Luiz and, after McKennie’s departure and a long negotiation, they completed the exchange in the last hours: 22 million plus bonuses and the cards of the young Juventus players Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling Jr. Now in Turin and Birmingham they are just waiting for the medical visits – the Brazilian will carry them out in the USA, where he is with the national team for the America’s Cup – and the official announcement. Overall an operation worth around fifty million. Douglas Luiz closed, at Continassa they are waiting for the white smoke for Michele Di Gregorio (the Monza goalkeeper) and are planning new shots. Same commandment: sell to buy. Or buy and sell at the same time by plotting new trades. Some ambitious, others alternative to each other.
church and…greenwood
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Still in England, but near Manchester, the Bianconeri are looking for wingers for Thiago Motta’s 4-2-3-1. Giuntoli moved in unsuspecting times for both Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho. The two Englishmen return to Old Trafford from loans to Getafe and Borussia Dortmund, but will not wear the United shirt in 2024-25 either. Juventus has already cashed in on the availability of Greenwood, reborn in Spain after his inactivity following unpleasant personal events, but cannot – and does not want to – spend the 40-50 million currently requested by the Red Devils. While waiting for the August sales, we are looking for alternative ways. A goal for Federico Chiesa, also courted by Bayern. Manchester United will lose two external attackers (Greenwood and Sancho) and have begun to think about the blue player, expendable for Motta and expiring in twelve months. Much, if not everything, will depend on the European Championship. The connections could be different: Greenwood for Chiesa, Lazio permitting. Or the blue in England and Sancho in Turin, but only on loan and with part of the salary paid by United.
French moise
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From the Premier League to Ligue1, where Moise Kean enjoyed his best season: 17 goals with PSG in 2020-21. The return to Juventus was less happy than expected and in the summer the striker from Vercelli will have a change of scenery. In France they have a good memory of Kean, still young (24 years old) and with his contract expiring in 2025. There have already been some polls: Lille, Monaco, Nice. Two of the midfielders at the top of Juventus’ minds for the possible post Adrien Rabiot are playing on the Côte d’Azur: Khepheren Thuram and Yossouf Fofana (Milan are also there). The Bianconeri will be released in 8 days: in the event of a divorce, Giuntoli will target the 23-year-old Nice midfielder, younger brother of Inter player Marcus, or the 25-year-old compatriot from Monaco. Deals worth 20-25 million, discountable if Kean returns to Ligue1.
darling huijsen
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But now Teun Koopmeiners is the Lady’s priority. Giuntoli is refining the strategy to get closer to the 55-60 million requested by Atalanta for the midfielder. Dean Huijsen, the defender who returned from his loan to Roma, could be directly or indirectly the key for Koop. The Spanish-Dutch is appreciated by the Dea and courted in Germany, where they seem willing to invest up to 25 million plus bonuses. Three clubs are active in the Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund. If in the end Huijsen doesn’t return to Atalanta’s radar, watch out for a clash with the yellow and blacks and Karim Adeyemi, the attacking wildcard who is vice champion of Europe followed by the black and whites.
