Juventus Transfer Market: Luciano Spalletti Cuts a Forward; He’ll Be Traded in January

Not many people expected such a difficult start to the season for Juventus, especially after a summer transfer window in which the club spent over 150 million euros. Despite failing to qualify for the Champions League, the club opened its wallet to bolster virtually every position.

Over the summer, the Old Lady invested heavily in its attack: in addition to Randal Kolo Muani, the club also signed Kerim Alajbegovic, Nick Woltemade, and Jeff Ekhator. The young center forward, formerly of Genoa, who arrived in Turin for approximately 17 million euros, suffered an injury in July and won’t be available until mid-November. According to the latest reports, the club is carefully evaluating his future.

It appears that Luciano Spalletti has spoken with Giovanni Carnevali regarding a possible loan deal for the young Ekhator, who could therefore leave Turin in January to get the chance to play regularly and regain his best physical form. Parma and Genoa are following the situation with interest.

Following the difficulties encountered in the league and the Europa League, there had been talk in recent weeks of a possible return of Antonio Conte to the Juventus bench. The Lecce-born coach, who has also been linked to Manchester United, issued an official statement: “In light of the rumors published in recent days by various media outlets, both in Italy and abroad, I feel it is appropriate to speak out to set the record straight.”

“My name has been linked to numerous clubs, but at the moment there are no negotiations at an advanced stage,” he wrote on Instagram. “After a wonderful and successful stint at the helm of Napoli, I will take the time needed to evaluate how and when to return to coaching. It will be a well-considered decision, which I will make when I believe the right conditions are in place,”

“I have read about alleged financial demands and demands for full authority that I am said to have already made to the clubs mentioned, as well as reservations related to what is described as my ‘strong personality.’ These are baseless claims since, as things stand, there are no concrete facts on which to base such assessments. Should a concrete opportunity arise, that will be the time to discuss matters with the interested club and jointly evaluate the terms of a potential agreement, while respecting our mutual needs and the characteristics that define my work as a coach. Until then, any speculation regarding my demands and my professional future remains mere conjecture and cannot be considered fact.”