Juventus Transfer Market: Jhon Lucumí Says No to His Mentor (and the Rest of the Bianconeri)
Jhon Lucumí continues to rank Juventus as his top choice among potential destinations for his future. Despite strong interest from Nottingham Forest and initial contact from top Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester United, the Colombian defender has not changed his priorities.
The Bologna center back is determined to make the leap to a top-tier team and considers Juventus the ideal solution for advancing his career. In addition to the appeal of the Bianconeri, the 1998-born player was also won over by the determination shown by the club’s management during the final weeks of the transfer window.
Discussions between the player’s agents and Juventus executives—Giovanni Carnevali, Ricky Massara, and Marco Ottolini—are continuing nonstop. A draft agreement is reportedly already on the table for a five-year contract worth approximately 2.5 million euros net per season, to which performance- and target-based bonuses would be added.
From a financial standpoint, Nottingham Forest would be willing to offer an even higher salary—approximately one million euros more than Juventus’s proposal. Despite this, Lucumí continues to favor the Juventus project, keeping the Premier League as a backup option in case the deal with Juventus falls through.
The defender, however, has already ruled out a move to Turkey, rejecting advances from Galatasaray and Beşiktaş—the latter coached by Vincenzo Italiano, a manager with whom he worked at Bologna and whom the South American considers a true mentor.
The two clubs now need to reach an agreement. Bologna has already rejected an initial offer of 17 million euros and continues to demand a higher valuation for its defender. To try to break the deadlock in the negotiations, Juventus is reportedly also considering including his compatriot Juan Cabal as part of the deal—a solution that could help reduce the financial aspect of the transfer and bring the two clubs’ positions closer together.
