Juventus: from Brozovic to Bissouma, there is the squad-list problem for Locatelli’s replacement on a free transfer
The injury to the Azzurri captain leaves a huge void in midfield for Juventus, who cannot replace him with a free agent without having to make another cut.
This was the last thing they needed. Luciano Spalletti has been dealt another long-term injury blow in the 2026/2027 season and, after the setbacks suffered by Yildiz and Thuram, is now being forced to do without captain Manuel Locatelli for almost five months too.
Locatelli has undergone knee surgery, and his absence leaves a huge hole in a department where Juventus had already found themselves "forced" to rehabilitate Douglas Luiz and keep Teun Koopmeiners too, almost against their will. Now the pair have to be considered virtual first-choice players because the prospects of an immediate free transfer signing are inevitably running into a further regulatory problem.
Brozovic and not only
The hottest name, not least because Juventus have spent much of the summer discussing him and still have him in mind, is former Inter player Marcelo Brozovic. The Croatian, who Lazio are also tracking, has been without a contract since his deal with Al Nassr ended and is looking for a club to continue his career, perhaps even back in Italy.
The lists problem
The Locatelli issue for Juventus, however, runs much deeper. The club have to shape the squad around strict and significant criteria, both financially, because the salary offered to any potential free signing would affect the delicate balance of Juventus's wage bill, which is already under UEFA scrutiny, and from a technical-regulatory point of view.
From a regulatory angle, the Italian midfielder was a "particular" player for Juventus when it came to the lists submitted to UEFA and Serie A, and he was not replaceable. Locatelli is in fact a "FIGC trained" player, meaning he developed in the youth sectors of Italian clubs, and he occupies one of the four slots reserved for this type of player.
For a “foreigner”, another departure is needed
Serie A squads can be changed and updated, but to replace Locatelli with a "foreign" player, meaning one not developed in an Italian academy, such as Brozovic or the other names mentioned, another cut would in fact be needed.
Juventus would have to leave out another foreign player. On top of that, after the New Year, the already excluded Khephren Thuram will in any case also have to be brought back into that list.
