Juve, without Champions League, market at risk from Silva to Thuram

It’s not a Champions League round, but it’s as if it were. Tonight Juventus will play a lot in Lecce, if not everything. In or out, just like in the knockout matches of the Europe that counts. A success at Via del Mare would put the Bianconeri to sleep in third place for at least one night. A defeat risks compromising present and future ambitions before the last two legs against Fiorentina and Turin. Qualifying for the Champions League or not makes all the difference in the world. A lot of money is at stake (at least 75 million), but also the appeal on the market. Some sacrifices will be inevitable and some unattainable stars, above all the dream of Bernardo Silva. Question of money, accounts and balance sheets. It won’t be 100 million as Massimiliano Allegri said, but the Champions League moves a lot. That’s how it moves.

in the chest

—

Juventus’ fourth place runs on a very thin thread. However, the economic gap between participating in or watching the queen of European competitions from the sofa is wide. The last two seasons tell a good story of how wide the gap is, because in relation to UEFA prizes the Bianconeri earned 66.5 million euros in 2024-2025 and around 64 this year, a slightly lower figure due to the decrease in market pool and ranking items. That’s not all, however, because the Allianz Stadium knows how to enjoy the magic of Europe and punctually fills up every time the Lady needs to be pushed into the best competition: for the current season we can estimate over ten million in box office receipts and, therefore, failing to reach fourth place would cause at least 75 million in total to disappear. Of course, the Europa League and Conference League also provide rewards, but it’s a whole different world. It would mean “downsizing”.

the market

—

Various negotiations will also depend on the sprint for fourth place. One above all: that for Bernardo Silva, whose contract with Manchester City is expiring. The Bianconeri, after the long courtship of recent months complete with a phone call from Luciano Spalletti, need the pass to the Europe that counts to present themselves in the sprint with Barcelona, ​​which remains the dream of Pep Guardiola’s captain. While Alisson (Liverpool) and the former Kolo Muani (Tottenham, but owned by PSG) could arrive regardless of the name of the cup. Juventus already has an agreement in principle with both and will negotiate with the clubs at the end of the championship. “Marotta says that young people are not enough to triumph but we also need experienced people who are used to winning? I agree – Spalletti explained yesterday – experience is important. But I wouldn’t make comparisons with Inter, their mental strength has been recognized for years. Let one thing be clear: we will make some additions to the team, but the majority of Juventus will remain this one. It’s good for the players to know this. You can grow in everything, the only thing that cannot be trained is presumption.” You can’t have everything and everything has a price. Without the rich UEFA prizes, Juventus will have to compensate with some sales in the name of the budget. More than goodbyes, painful sacrifices. At least one of Bremer, Khephren Thuram and Francisco Conceiçao, increasingly in the sights of Liverpool and Manchester United, could be monetized to the highest bidder.