Juventus appear trapped between the need to reinforce their midfield and the impossibility of offloading a surplus of players, leaving eight candidates in doubt for next season and the transfer market firmly blocked.
Coach Luciano Spalletti can currently count on just two certainties in the engine room: Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie. The Italian captain, fresh from a renewal, has shown notable growth over the past year but still lacks the leadership required to guide the team toward Champions League qualification. McKennie, meanwhile, has been transformed into a lethal runner under Spalletti, reaching performance levels never before seen in his career. Beyond these two, however, uncertainty reigns.
Khephren Thuram began pre-season on the sidelines after the femoro-rotulea syndrome that limited him late last campaign. Douglas Luiz has shown no encouraging signs: the Brazilian possesses enviable technique, but recurring injuries over the past two seasons have left him operating well below the level required at the top. Teun Koopmeiners has not been seen on the pitch this summer, and his two years in Turin have made clear that the weight of expectation has crushed him. Youngster Adzic has no alternative other than a formative loan, while Arthur Michele has been an unwanted surplus for too long. Finally, Giovanni Miretti sent a signal with a free-kick goal against Standard Liege, but his difficulties in playing out from the back make him one of the leading candidates to be sacrificed for budgetary reasons.
