Juventus, Thuram risks surgery: the trip to the guru in Lyon and the transfer market
Concern at Juventus over the condition of the French midfielder
Concern is growing at Juventus over Khephren Thuram's knee. "I am very worried," Luciano Spalletti admitted, echoing the mood of the player, the staff and the directors.
The French midfielder, ruled out all summer by the patellofemoral syndrome that has troubled him since last spring, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport will fly to Lyon at the start of the week to see Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, the specialist who previously operated on Gleison Bremer and Federico Gatti.
That visit will be crucial in deciding the next step: new therapy or surgery. Thuram hopes to avoid an operation, which would mean a longer lay-off, but nobody is giving anything away right now. One thing is certain: Spalletti will have to wait longer before he can count on his midfielder's power and intensity.
Thuram, a troubled summer
Thuram has had an extremely complicated summer: the knee problem also cost him a France call-up for the World Cup in America. At Continassa he started work early, but trained separately for around 40 days, missing the entire pre-season, the tour of China and Australia, and the friendlies against Basel, Standard Liège, Nice, Chelsea, Inter and Palermo.
His return to group training and the call-up for the league opener had looked like encouraging signs. Then the latest setback rang the alarm bells again. The decision now passes to the French specialist: the verdict from Lyon could shape Thuram’s immediate future and Juventus’s final moves in the transfer market.
The transfer market
Sonnery-Cottet's verdict will also have consequences for the Juventus transfer market, according to the newspaper. The directors are already looking for a midfielder and are dealing with the collapse of talks to sign free agent Franck Kessié. They could now step up the hunt for an opportunity in the final days of the transfer window, preferably on loan or at low cost, also in light of the constraints of the settlement agreement with UEFA.
