The first move has been made official, now on to the second. Yesterday Douglas Luiz, Brazilian midfielder for Aston Villa, became a Juventus player, the number one reinforcement for the new Lady led by Thiago Motta. “Ciao Juventus fans, I’m really happy to be a black and white. I can’t wait to play at the Allianz Stadium. See you soon, Forza Juve!”: this is how he introduced himself on social media directly from the United States, where he is participating in the America’s Cup together with the black and whites Danilo and Gleison Bremer, who surely explained to him well what kind of climate awaits him in Turin. A €50 million deal, as stated in the press release, which will allow the English club to resolve its problems with financial fair play and to bring home Samuel Iling Junior and Enzo Barrenechea (who have not yet been made official). Douglas has signed a 5-year contract and will earn around €5 million net per season (plus bonuses). He will arrive at Continassa after the America’s Cup, certainly not for the day of the retreat (scheduled for July 10) when Motta hopes instead to have Khephren Thuram available, the missing piece to put the midfield in order. A director and a midfielder, ideas and substance at the service of the new coach.
Agreement close
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Cristiano Giuntoli’s next move will be to try to close down the Frenchman as early as the week that has just begun to immediately give him to Thiago. The negotiation is already at an advanced stage and there are all the conditions for the white smoke to be reached within a few days. Contacts with the player’s agents (managed by Sport Cover, the same agency that looks after the interests of his brother Marcus, Inter striker) are frequent as are those with Nice. The player, pushed by his father Lilian, who lived unforgettable years in Juventus Turin and is tickled by the idea of joining his brother in Serie A, has already said yes to Juventus, with whom there is a principle of agreement for a salary around to 2 million euros. What is missing is the one with the French club, which initially started with very high figures (around 30 million) but which has now lowered its demands, also because Thuram’s contract expires in 2025. We are thinking of a total of 20 million euros, which still remains to be defined the management of bonuses: the Bianconeri would like to lower the fixed part (15-16 million) and increase the variable part (5 or 4), thus exploiting the money collected from the transfer of Moise Kean to Fiorentina (13 million plus 5 in bonuses, of which 2 easy, 2 difficult and one medium). Viola’s acceleration for the winger (zero goals in the last season) allows the Lady to have a treasure that can be used for the Frenchman. An operation that the Juventus director considers convenient, because Thuram is young (23 years old) and is considered a player with great room for growth.
Waiting for Rabiot
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Thuram is the prototype of the modern midfielder: dynamic and with good progression with the ball at his feet, he is very good at filtering in front of the defense but also has the time to insert himself. He doesn’t score a lot (just one goal) in the last season) but we can work on that. And then Douglas Luiz will take care of it, who takes penalties and free kicks and ended 2023-24 with Aston Villa in double figures. The Brazilian has more of a playmaker’s characteristics, which is why the two can integrate well in a two- or three-man midfield, depending on the situation. Juventus had been following Thuram for some time but decided to strike when they realized that the conditions existed to conclude the deal at low cost, especially considering Adrien Rabiot’s lack of response. The other Frenchman is no longer a Juventus player from today: his contract has expired and he has not yet communicated to the club whether or not he will accept the proposal of a three-year contract (two-year contract with the option for a third year) at 7.5 million euros per season, more or less the same amount he earns now. An onerous contract but one that the Lady can afford thanks to the Growth Decree. Rabiot will probably wait for the end of the European Championship to understand if there are other clubs interested, so Giuntoli has decided to take precautions by hiring another Frenchman. If Adrien were to show up, Juventus will evaluate how to proceed: it is not excluded that the offer made could change. Remaining in midfield, Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners is always in our sights: after Thuram a new assault will start.
