Juventus want Leoni and Palmisani to rebuild Italian core in 2027
Saturday’s reports claim that Liverpool’s Giovanni Leooni and Frosinone goalkeeper Lorenzo Palmisani are among the players wanted by Juventus to help rebuild their Italian core.
Gazzetta: Juventus eyeing three young Italian talents
For their two most recent matches before the international break, and for the first time ever in their Serie A history against Sassuolo on September 13, Juventus fielded a starting XI that featured no outfield Italian players. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is the only Italian to have started the last two games.
This was largely due to injuries to captain Manuel Locatelli and Italy international Andrea Cambiaso, but if they had been available, Juventus are relatively short on Italian-born first-team players.
Their list of Italians based permanently with the first-team are goalkeepers Vicario and Carlo Pinsoglio, plus Cambiaso, Federico Gatti, Locatelli, Daniele Rugani and Jeff Ekhator. Of that list, Vicario, Cambiaso and Locatelli are the only ones expected to regularly start for the Bianconeri in Serie A.
For Bianconeri supporters, particularly those based in Italy, this is a cause for concern, given that the teams that won nine consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2020 relied heavily on its block of Italy internationals, including the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Pirlo.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, this is an issue that has been recognised by the senior Juventus management, who hope to strengthen their squad with a number of upcoming Italian talents in future transfer windows.
Among them is Frosinone goalkeeper Palmisani. Juve still have an option to make Vicario’s transfer permanent at a cost of €8m at the end of the 2026-27 season, but the Frosinone goalkeeper, currently a star of the Italy U21 squad, is being tipped as a long-term option.
Juventus are also admirers of Liverpool youngster Leoni, and according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, they had even offered to take the teenager on loan as part of his recovery from a year-long knee injury.
Juventus are also said to be keen on Riccardo Calafiori and recently-capped Italy international Michael Kayode, but are aware that they will almost certainly both be out of the club’s price range in the summer.
La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Juventus are also interested in a potential deal for Fiorentina midfielder Cher Ndour.
