Juventus Transfer Market: Deal All but Done—Franck Kessié One Step Away from the Bianconeri

Serie A has kicked off, but Juventus’s transfer campaign isn’t over yet: Carnevali and the club’s transfer team are working to finalize the last few deals to satisfy Luciano Spalletti. The Tuscan coach has asked for an experienced, world-class midfielder, and the top candidate is free agent Franck Kessié, with whom the Old Lady has had an agreement for some time. And now the deal is finally set to close, despite an attempt by Al-Ittihad, which offered the Ivorian international a lavish contract.

Fabio Miretti is, in fact, on his way out of Turin: according to the latest rumors reported by Sportmediaset, Juventus and Besiktas have agreed on the midfielder’s transfer to Turkey. The Istanbul team’s coach, Vincenzo Italiano, specifically requested him, and Miretti—who is no longer part of Spalletti’s plans—has accepted the transfer to the Super Lig as early as this season. The midfielder, who will head to Turkey on loan with an option to buy, will free up a spot in midfield for Kessié, who will thus be able to return to Italy.

With these departures finally taking shape, Juventus can now focus on completing its attacking lineup. The situations involving Jonathan David and Nico Gonzalez remain to be resolved: the Canadian has so far rejected all offers from England and France, while the Argentine former Fiorentina player is still waiting for a call from Atlético Madrid, which is biding its time until the final days of the transfer window to secure the best possible terms. Spalletti, meanwhile, is watching with interest the potential arrival of Joshua Zirkzee as another offensive reinforcement, but first the roster will need to be trimmed further.

Here’s what Luciano Spalletti had to say about the transfer market on the eve of the match against Frosinone: “We’ve had a good transfer window, but there’s still work to be done. We’ve improved, though I don’t know if we’ve closed the gap on Inter: there are 7–8 teams, including Fiorentina, that will be fighting for the top four spots. We need to prove we’re good and win more games than last year. Milan had a great transfer window; Napoli and Inter were already very strong; Roma had a good transfer campaign.”