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Juventus market, defender target: there's a comeback for the Bianconeri

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In the first eight matches of the Spalletti era at Juventus, the Bianconeri have kept their goal unbeaten on only two occasions, in the Nov. 8 derby against Torino and in the Dec. 2 match against Udinese. Also for this reason, the Old Lady management, d’s agreement with the technical staff, would be moving to bring in a new defender as early as January, to expand the range of choices available to the coach from Certaldo as far as the back pack is concerned. The new name is actually a throwback: it is in fact Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille, for whom the ground had already been sounded out last summer.

The name of the new defender is actually a throwback.

A class of 1999, originally from Villa Mercedes and holder of dual Argentine and Italian passports (he would not, therefore, occupy one of the slots reserved for non-EU players), Balerdi is one of the regular starters in the Roberto De Zerbi-coached team and has seen his market value rise to the current 20 million indicated by Transfermarkt. OM’s management could take advantage of the opportunity to cash in by starting a real auction among suitors: in fact, there is not only Juventus on the footsteps of the player, who is also interested in the Saudi league and in particular in Al-Qadsiya, which last summer snatched striker Mateo Retegui from the Italian league.

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The comedian, a well-known Juventus fan, published a fiery post against Spalletti’s team after the defeat against Napoli
The outburst has been shared by thousands of people, testifying to the malaise that simmers in the Juve world over the choices of the'current management
"I would like to know if the Juventus ownership realizes that it has put in key managerial points of the company of the incompetent and inexperienced"
"They have bought duds like Openda, David, Cabal and other half-asses who are not worthy to even be on the bench. We still have Kostic"
"Spalletti if he has to make changes he gets people running around the field, who don’t have the fundamentals, who throw the ball away and also make us get goals"
"Players (so to speak) who are not only not worthy of Juve but also not worthy of the last teams in the league standings"
"Poor Spalletti is a great coach but he can’t play a championship, in fact 3, not only without some Juve-like offspring…"

"… but at most with 7 or 8 good players while he would need at least 22"

"That of today, for me as a sick Juventus fan as I am and as all our fans are, is no longer “Juventus” neither in the managers nor in most of the players"
"Even tonight Giovanni and Umberto will not rest in peace. #ForzaJuve #untiltheend … but we are close"

The current contract linking Balerdi to Olympique Marseille expires on June 30, 2028: this factor, too, allows the French club to raise the odds, a factor Juventus must necessarily take into account. Balerdi had arrived in Europe in January 2019, when Borussia Dortmund paid about 20 million euros (including bonuses) to Boca Juniors: after a difficult acclimatization and a stop to the championships because of Covid the following year, the Argentine moved in July 2020 to Olympique Marseille, first on loan and then, after paying 15 million for the redemption, outright.

In Ligue 1, Balerdi has adapted in the best possible way and has become one of the leading players in the league, as far as the role of defender is concerned.

Juventus was already interested in him in the summer and is now ready to attempt a new assault, Saudi Arabia permitting.

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