Juventus, a 50 million windfall from the sales of Gatti, Cambiaso and Zhegrova. And then there’s a swap up front

Juventus are seventh in the table and have Serie A’s 13th-ranked attack, with 15 goals scored. They urgently need to change something if they want to qualify for next season’s Champions League. CEO Giovanni Carnevali and Luciano Spalletti are banking on the return of injured players and the January transfer window.

Getting injured players back is the first step towards giving Juventus more options for rotation and fresh impetus, especially in front of goal. After the break, Juventus will welcome back Francisco Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez, with Spalletti planning to use Gonzalez more as a centre-forward or second striker than a wide forward from now on. Then, in December, Kenan Yildiz is also expected to return, giving Spalletti every attacking option in his Juventus squad. In midfield, though, Spalletti will have to wait until the first few months of the new year for Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram to return to the pitch.

The January transfer window

Alongside the return of injured players, the transfer market offers Juventus another way to turn their season around. As well as the funds expected from the capital increase, Carnevali and Massara will have to consider swaps and sales. Around 100 million of the 250 million capital increase will go towards transfers, but that money must stretch across January and next summer. Juventus cannot afford to spend too much of it in January. Swaps and sales could therefore shape their winter transfer window.

David-Sorloth swap

On the subject of swaps, Juventus and Atletico Madrid have resumed talks over Jonathan David, who is on loan from Juventus to the Colchoneros with an option to buy set at 15 million, and Alexander Sorloth, whom Juventus want next summer. David's good performances in Madrid could bring a deal forward to January, with the Norwegian heading to Turin as part of it.

Three could leave: Gatti

Three players are among the leading candidates to leave Turin in January. They are Federico Gatti, Andrea Cambiaso and Edon Zhegrova. Gatti has featured more often in recent matches, but after his good performance against AZ in the Europa League, he got something off his chest: "To perform at my best, I need to play regularly." Premier League clubs continue to monitor the player born in 1998, particularly Aston Villa and Tottenham. His attributes, however, do not make him one of Spalletti's preferred defenders. Juventus hope to raise at least €15 million from a possible sale of Gatti, whose contract expires in 2030.

Cambiaso

Also on the list of possible departures is Cambiaso: after two difficult seasons marked by injuries, mistakes and dips in form, his valuation has fallen sharply. Juventus still want €20 million for the wide player born in 2000, whose contract expires in 2029. Cambiaso has admirers in Spain and at AC Milan. Juan Miranda could arrive from Bologna to replace him at Continassa.

And Zhegrova

Finally, there is Zhegrova. Spalletti left him off the Uefa squad list and has used him only in the closing stages of league matches. The Kosovan's season has brought a fleeting spark in a brace against Sassuolo that ultimately counted for nothing, but plenty of time on the bench. As they did last summer, Juventus will put him on the transfer market in January. With Kolo Muani now playing on the right and Nico, Conceicao and Yildiz returning, the former Lille player's opportunities at Juventus are about to disappear for good. Juventus value Zhegrova, who was born in 1999 and whose contract expires in 2030, at 15 million. If these three sales go through according to Juventus' plans, Carnevali could bring in 50 million.