Juventus Transfer Market: The Bianconeri Are on Edge Over the Defender—The Surprising Counteroffer Could Change Everything

Juventus continues to push hard for Jhon Lucumí, but negotiations with Bologna are becoming increasingly complex. What seemed like a deal that could be closed with a targeted counteroffer has turned into a veritable tactical chessboard, where every move can shift the balance between the parties. In fact, there is a counteroffer on the table that risks completely reshuffling the deck.

Luciano Spalletti has identified Lucumí as the ideal partner for Gleison Bremer: Juventus has already begun pressuring Bologna and started with a 17-million offer, with the possibility of including Juan Cabal as part of the deal. Bologna, however, no longer seems particularly interested in Cabal—unlike how it appeared in recent days—and has instead put forward another idea: including a loan deal for Teun Koopmeiners in the negotiations, with Juventus covering about half of his salary (4.5 million net).

This deal would follow the model seen in the Castro-Dovbyk negotiations with Roma: a top-tier player arriving on loan for one season, in exchange for a small discount on the cash portion of the Lucumí transfer fee. The request caught Juventus off guard, as the club considers Koopmeiners a key part of its project—especially given his hefty salary, which would still need to be partially covered. Including him in such a deal would radically change the structure of the transaction.

Juventus wants to close the deal before any other club tries to enter the picture: several English clubs, backed by the deep pockets resulting from Premier League revenues, are already interested in Lucumí’s contractual situation. The coming week will therefore be decisive: Juventus will have to choose whether to raise their offer, push for another player in exchange, or evaluate Bologna’s counteroffer.