After a disastrous season in which they have been hit with a 15-point deduction in Serie A and crashed out of the Champions League at the Group Stage, Juventus are planning an overhaul of their squad with young Italian talent. High on their list is Sassuolo star Davide Frattesi, and the midfielder is keen to make the move to Turin.
As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri will treat their penalty for capital gains fraud as an opportunity to hit the reset button and make wholesale changes to their squad, as they approach a third year without a scudetto and are all but certain to miss out on European football next term.
Currently languishing in ninth place, Juventus are eager to remain competitive next season and have made Frattesi a prime target, in an effort to focus their incomings on high-potential Italian players, as well as those who are currently on their books but impressing on loan elsewhere.
Midfield departures create space for Frattesi
Frattesi has emerged as a possibility for Juventus due to the recognition that they are set to be light on numbers in the centre in the summer.
Weston McKennie joined Leeds United on loan last month and is expected to complete a permanent transfer to Elland Road at the end of the season, whilst Adrien Rabiot is out of contract and likely to depart. Meanwhile, Juventus are not thought to be ready to trigger the €28 million buyout clause in Leandro Paredes‘ loan and will send him back to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Bianconeri’s hopes of landing Frattesi have increased due to AS Roma‘s interest in him cooling over recent weeks, with the 23-year-old Roman native a boyhood Giallorossi fan and pushing for a return to the capital last summer, but with that switch off the table he is ready to accept Juventus.
Discussions were opened over a summer move in January, with Juventus and Sassuolo enjoying a strong working relationship, whilst informal talks were also held with the player’s agent, and this is expected to intensify over the coming months.
Juventus on the hunt for Italian additions
La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that Frattesi is only one of a number of young Italian talents being considered by the Bianconeri though, with Guglielmo Vicario‘s excellent season in goal for Empoli putting him on their radar, along with Cremonese‘s Marco Carnesecchi, on loan in Cremona from Atalanta.
PSG shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma still remains a dream of the club, after coming close to joining them from AC Milan, but Juventus would need to secure Champions League football to even consider a deal.
Meanwhile, Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini has caught the eye of most of Europe after breaking through for the Orobici, and despite Inter being particularly keen on him, Juventus remain in the hunt. The Bianconeri are reported to be monitoring Nice centre-back Mattia Viti and his former teammate at Empoli, fullback Fabiano Parisi.
Tommaso Baldanzi is also highly-sought after in attack, with the Empoli starlet and Sassuolo‘s Luca Moro potential forward incomings, whilst Italy international Nicolo Zaniolo is a long-term target after departing Roma for Galatasaray earlier this month.
The Bianconeri are also considering some of their brightest talents that are currently away from the club, with Andrea Cambiaso set for a role in the first team next term after his season on loan at Bologna, and Nicolo Rovella due to return after a spell at Monza.
