Juventus, Conceicao must win back his place: he is missing goals, and two Premier League clubs are monitoring the situation
Competition for the Portuguese has increased: Juventus now expect a step up in quality
Francisco Conceicao is no longer untouchable at Juventus. Or at least, he is no longer indispensable as he was in 2025-26. That may sound like a paradox, given the Portuguese winger still ranks among Juve's best performers at the start of this season, but a few factors explain it: the return of Nico Gonzalez and the growing influence the Argentine is having in Luciano Spalletti's team, the positive impact and unquestionable quality of Kerim Alajbegovic, and the sheer number of wide players in the Juventus squad. Alongside Gonzalez and Alajbegovic, there is an Edon Zhegrova revitalised by his brace against Sassuolo, while Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga are still to return.
Goals and assists
The former Porto player, born in 2002, is one of the strengths of Spalletti's Juventus, but the internal competition has grown compared with the past and there is no longer any room to rest on his laurels or feel like an undisputed starter. Conceicao must earn space and minutes on the pitch with good performances, which have not been lacking, and with goals, which remain his limitation. Conceicao does not score much and his output in front of goal has dropped since joining Juventus: 40 appearances and seven goals in 2024-25, 42 appearances and four goals in 2025-26. This year, in five matches, the coach's son is still on zero, with the woodwork denying him on a couple of occasions. A goal is clearly one area where the No 7 must improve and become more effective, perhaps as early as tomorrow's match against Atalanta, because the internal 'competition' are scoring more and, potentially, have more goals in their locker than Chico. Conceicao can make up for it with assists, but there too there is room for improvement: the Portuguese often beats his man, then stops and beats him again. That extra touch allows opposition defences to pick up his team-mates better, whereas a cross straight after the first dribble could catch them more exposed.
The transfer market
The current situation surrounding Conceicao is also attracting attention in the transfer market, especially from clubs interested in signing him, and there is no shortage of them in the Premier League, from Liverpool to Manchester United. Conceicao, whose Juventus contract runs until 2030, earns net wages of €3.8 million per season and joined Juventus on a permanent deal in 2025 after his loan spell in the first season, with an investment of €30.4 million. After one year, €6.8 million has been amortised, and another €6.8 million will be amortised during this season: to make a capital gain, if Juventus wanted to sell Conceicao in 2027 they would have to ask for at least €16.8 million. That figure is naturally far below the player's value, which Juventus believe stands at €40 million.
