Giuntoli’s list includes the Real Sociedad midfielder who Milan also likes: he costs a lot but earns little
Once upon a time there was a Juventus with a stellar midfield, which faced Barcelona in the Champions League final, simultaneously fielding Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal. Massimiliano Allegri was already on the bench, who won his first scudetto in black and white that season, starting the series of 5 in a row. Since then many things have changed, including the coach who left the helm for two years before returning for the Max bis, and the midfield began to lose momentum, becoming a department in increasingly difficulty year after year. It is difficult to return to the glories of the past, but the number one objective of the Savoy management for the 2024-25 year is to rebuild a middle ground that is once again up to the Lady’s standards, with the right mix of quality and quantity. One shot or maybe two, this will depend on what happens on the transfer front and above all on what Adrien Rabiot will do, who’s contract is expiring and will only decide later whether to renew it again or not. In the meantime, Cristiano Giuntoli has already drawn up a list of Juventus candidates to redesign the midfield. At the top is Teun Koopmeiners, who will face Madama as an opponent at the Allianz Stadium tomorrow, but he is not the only one. Among the players followed with great attention there is also Martin Zubimendi, midfielder of Real Sociedad and the Spanish national team already in the sights of several top clubs, including Milan.
New direction
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Koopmeiners and Zubimendi are not alternatives, on the contrary. The Dutch Dea is a midfielder, while the Basque is a playmaker, good at dictating times and rhythms of the game but also in the interdiction phase. A sign that Juventus is thinking of changing something in the control room too. In reality, there had been talk about it already in January, when the club tried to invest in the middle, but without success. The initial idea was to take a playmaker also to free Locatelli, bringing him back to his old role as midfielder. Then the economic reasons (an important investment was needed which Juventus preferred to postpone in the summer transfer market) were added to the technical ones (Massimiliano Allegri preferred not to alter the team balance by introducing a player in the middle of the year who would come to Turin to do the starter) and it was decided to turn to a low-cost second choice (Alcaraz, who arrived on loan) to stem the emergency. For next season, however, it will be necessary to intervene decisively, because the team, barring sensational changes, will be without Paul Pogba (disqualified for 4 years for doping, an appeal to the CAS is awaited), it has no certainties about Rabiot and some young players (Miretti) could go on loan. Fagioli will return, who will finish serving his ban for betting in May, but it cannot be enough for a club that aims to raise the level of competitiveness and close the gap with Inter whilst maintaining sustainability.
Clause and cost
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Zubimendi was recently seen live by the Bianconeri together with Mikel Merino, same department but different role. The Real Sociedad pivot in 2022 has renewed until 2027 and has a release clause of 60 million. The price is high, but the salary is within reach (he currently earns 3 million) and this matters for a company that aims to further streamline the wage bill. Basco, who grew up in the youth sector of the Spanish club with whom he spent his entire career, has already played 44 matches this season, scoring one goal. A cornerstone of Real Sociedad and also of La Roja, with which he won a Nations League, he was courted for a long time by Barcelona before the extension with the club where he joined when he was just 12 years old, without ever changing his shirt. His age is also the right one, because at 25 he still has a good chunk of career ahead of him but also a fair amount of experience with the national team too. It is no coincidence that Milan have also given us some thought for next season.
The others
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Other nominations also remain alive. Starting with that of Lazar Samardzic of Udinese, already courted by Inter and Napoli. Among the hot names there are also those of Lewis Ferguson, Swiss midfielder of Bologna, and Georgiy Sudakov, 21-year-old attacking midfielder of Shakhtar Donetsk. Juventus will first try to understand how many chances there are of reaching Koopmeiners and then whether one or two shots will be needed in the middle: a lot will depend on the sales and also on Rabiot’s future.
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