Carnevali: ‘Juventus could still sell David, Kessie just not interested enough’
Juventus director Giovanni Carnevali insists Franck Kessie was ‘simply not interested enough’ in joining them, while Jonathan David could still be for sale even after starting against Parma.
It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
Although the Bianconeri started their season with a 1-0 victory away to Frosinone, it came at a cost, because Kenan Yildiz fractured his metatarsal and will be out of action for around three months.
Weston McKennie and Khephren Thuram are also nursing injuries this evening, while Edon Zhegrova was left out presumably pending a transfer.
Carnevali outlines Juventus strategy
“This is an intriguing challenge, and an honour for me to be at the Stadium on a night like this,” Carnevali told DAZN Italia.
The negotiations with Kessie were also down to the concerns over Thuram, who would also potentially be out for a while, but the free agent surprisingly joined Atalanta instead.
“It is very simple with regards to Kessie. He was a player who without doubt interested us, we negotiated for quite a while. It was not an economic problem, but we do have certain parameters imposed on us by UEFA and we cannot go over those lines. It’s complicated even for us directors to work out sometimes, let alone those outside of the sport.
“We must think about a player with all his bonuses when he is sold, and to buy his replacement we cannot spent once cent more.
“There were many difficulties around Kessie’s demands, but I think the main issue is that he and his agent simply weren’t interested enough. Anyone who comes to Juventus must be very proud to wear this jersey.
“The rest doesn’t matter that much, we know that there are still a few more days in the transfer market, we know where we are, must be honest, and also know that we can do well.”
Kerim Alajbegovic was expected to be the beneficiary of the Yildiz injury, but instead Jeremie Boga and Jonathan David fan out behind Randal Kolo Muani, with Francisco Conceicao keeping his spot.
It’s a surprising twist, considering the Canada international is expected to be on the market.
“My way of thinking is that all players are potentially for sale, so when there are good opportunities, we sit down and talk about them,” replied Carnevali when pressed on David’s situation.
“The choice is never just ours, there are also other clubs and the player who are part of the process. There are a few days to go, there are many possibilities both coming in and going out.”
