Juventus after Kessié’s no: Fofana, Brozovic or an internal solution possible
After the breakdown in talks for the Ivorian, Juventus must find another midfielder
Barring a sensational surprise, which today looks unlikely, talks between Juventus and Franck Kessié have reached a deadlock. The former AC Milan midfielder, a free agent after the end of his spell with Al-Ahli, did not accept the figure offered by Juventus: the salary and, above all, the bonuses are not enough, according to the Ivorian and his entourage. The Old Lady's hierarchy now effectively have to start again from scratch in the search for the midfielder Luciano Spalletti wants to give more experience and quality to Juventus' midfield. With three days left before the end of the transfer window, the deadline is Tuesday at 8pm, finding an alternative to Kessié is not easy for Juventus.
With costs high and time running short, opening negotiations with any club for a major midfielder is difficult, which effectively rules out that route. Juventus are left with three options: an internal solution, the purchase of a surplus player, perhaps one out of the squad, from another team, or the signing of a free agent.
Douglas Luiz and Koopmeiners
The first option, the internal one, centres on two players: Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners, rotating with Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram, when he is available again, while Weston McKennie remains a useful joker. As for Douglas Luiz, Spalletti believes in him and has expressed a favourable opinion on him staying. Failing to bring in a big name (Kessié or whoever it may be) would increase the Brazilian's minutes and responsibilities. A similar situation applies to Koopmeiners: the Dutchman, coming off two negative seasons, has been on the market all summer, but no favourable solution has emerged, either for him or for the club. Without the arrival of a new midfielder, and with Miretti leaving, a third chance would open up for the Dutchman to finally prove he is good enough for Juventus.
FOFANA
Among the surplus players, the first name is Youssouf Fofana, currently out of the squad at AC Milan. The Frenchman could fill that gap in the Juventus squad, perhaps on loan with an option to buy. AC Milan are also looking at Juventus' surplus players: Amorim's dream is a player like Nico Gonzalez, but he would like a central defender (Gatti?). In this regard, according to Tuttosport, it is not ruled out that the two clubs could put together a swap deal in the final hours of the transfer window.
BROZOVIC
Then there are the free agents, and Marcelo Brozovic stands out above all, the former Inter midfielder from Croatia, born in 1992, available after a three-year spell at Al-Nassr. In mid-August, his entourage tried to open talks with chief executive Carnevali and offered the player to Juventus. Around Ferragosto, nothing came of it because Juve were pushing hard for Kessié. And now?
