Juventus

Juventus Shift Focus: Thomas Partey Interest Fades Post Thigh Surgery

November 12, 2023 by Cric Habit

After the Ghanaian’s recent thigh surgery, Juventus is said to have lost interest in Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey.

After spending his first two years in North London struggling with consistency and fitness, the former Atletico Madrid player put his injury problems behind him with a good 2022–2023 season.

Partey was an essential cog in Mikel Arteta’s well-oiled machine with Granit Xhaka as the Gunners finished second in the Premier League. Despite rumours of a summer transfer to Juventus or Saudi Arabia, Partey stayed there.

The 30-year-old’s health issues, though, have returned to haunt him this term. In September, he missed several weeks of play due to a groyne ailment, and at the end of August, he had another muscular problem.

Partey is said to have had surgery on his thigh, which could keep him out of commission for the remainder of the year, despite Arteta’s initial statement that he would be out for many weeks.

Partey had reportedly become dissatisfied with his new position in Arsenal’s setup before returning to the infirmary. He had started at right-back in the first three games of the 2023–24 Premier League season in order to make room for new recruit Kai Havertz.

Regulars in Arsenal’s midfield include Jorginho, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard. It is said that the Gunners are prepared to cash in on the Ghanaian international halfway through the season.

Juventus has long been favored to wrest him from North London, but according to the Evening Standard, the Old Lady’s enthusiasm has cooled as a result of his most recent procedure.

Due to off-field controversies, Massimiliano Allegri lost both Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli. Pogba is currently awaiting the results of his doping probe, while Fagioli is serving a seven-month betting suspension.

The Frenchman might face a four-year ban, which would undoubtedly lead to the end of his contract. It is alleged that Juventus intended to utilize the money they saved by severing Pogba’s contract to finance a move for Partey.

Tottenham Eyes January Swoop for Juventus Star Gleison Bremer

November 9, 2023 by Cric Habit

Gleison Bremer, a defender for Juventus, is apparently a target for Tottenham Hotspur during the January transfer window.

Because of Cristian Romero’s suspension and Micky van de Ven’s injury, the Lilywhites are lacking in the center of defense.

After completing his £43 million summer transfer from Wolfsburg, Van de Ven has fit right in with Ange Postecoglou’s team.

However, the 22-year-old will now need to miss a significant amount of time due to a hamstring injury he sustained during Monday’s 4-1 Premier League loss to Chelsea.

Just before halftime, the Dutchman was helped off the field by medical personnel because he was unable to bear any weight on his right leg. Spurs are reportedly concerned that he may be out for several months.

Eric Dier and Ashley Phillips, age 18, are Postecoglou’s only remaining options for central defense after Romero was awarded a straight red card in the loss to Chelsea and will now face a three-match ban.

Fichajes claims that Tottenham is interested in Bremer of Juventus and would be prepared to pay more than €40 million (£34.8 million) to recruit the Brazilian in January.

According to the report, the 26-year-old, who has spent the last five years in Italy between stints with Juve and his previous side Torino, might be enticed to transfer to the Premier League.

In the summer of 2022, Bremer transferred from Torino to Juventus. Since then, he has made 54 appearances across all competitions, solidifying his place among the top names on the roster under Massimiliano Allegri.

The center back, who was born in Bahia, has started every one of Juventus’ 11 Serie A games this year, helping the team record eight clean sheets and move up to second place in the standings.

Bremer’s contract with Juventus expires in four years, but given their financial difficulties, Juve may have to sell some of their best players.

Spurs may thus decide to make a test offer in January, though Chelsea and Manchester United, who are both said to be interested in the defender, might present a challenge.

Bremer is anticipated to play for Juventus in their Serie A match against Cagliari on Saturday. After that, he will be part of the Brazil squad for the next international break, which comes before their World Cup qualifying matches against Argentina and Colombia.

The trio of caps The Brazil international is not the only defender that Tottenham is rumored to be considering; they are also said to be interested in Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly and Aberdeen’s Slobodan Rubezic.

Juventus Eyes Paul Pogba’s Wages for Thomas Partey Transfer

November 1, 2023 by Cric Habit

Juventus may use the money saved by reducing Paul Pogba’s salary to bankroll a 2024 move for Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, according to reports.

Pogba, a former Manchester United midfielder, came to Turin for a second time last summer after his Red Devils contract ended, but his terrible return to the Bianconeri appears to be coming to an end.

Pogba tested positive for non-endogenous testosterone during a random drugs test after August’s opening Serie A triumph over Bologna, following an injury-plagued 2022-23 season in which he played just 10 games.

The French World Cup winner was suspended indefinitely pending a counter-analysis, which showed abnormally high levels of the hormone, and he now faces a possible four-year suspension.

Pogba’s punishment has not yet been established, and his contract with Juventus is set to expire in the summer of 2026, although the Bianconeri are largely expected to terminate his contract in the aftermath of the controversy.

Pogba is thought to have agreed to an annual salary of €8 million (£6.9 million) when he returned to Juventus last summer, but news of his positive B sample has reduced his earnings to €2k (£1.7k) per month.

With Nicolo Fagioli also serving a seven-month ban for illegal betting, Juventus are set to look for a midfielder in January and have been heavily linked with a move for Partey.

According to The Mirror, the Bianconeri intend to spend the money saved from Pogba’s massive wage cut on Partey, who is said to be unhappy with his playing time under Mikel Arteta.

Last season, he put his injury issues aside to forge a solid midfield partnership with Granit Xhaka, enabling the Gunners finish second in the Premier League after 248 days at the top.

Xhaka has now left for Bayer Leverkusen, but the additions of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have boosted competition in the engine room, while Partey’s fitness issues have returned.

The former Atletico Madrid man has only appeared five times this season and has not started a Premier League game since August 26 due to a groin injury incurred before the first international break of the new season.

Partey was able to play 15 minutes in his team’s 1-0 win against Manchester City on October 8, but he suffered a new muscular ailment before last week’s Champions League triumph over Sevilla and will be out for several weeks.

The 30-year-old’s contract with Arsenal expires in June 2025, but according to a separate report from Tuttojuve, he is looking for a way out, with Juventus exploring a loan deal for the midfielder in January.

Arsenal would apparently demand €30 million (£26.1 million) to allow Partey depart permanently, an amount that Massimiliano Allegri’s side has no intention of paying, but they might try to negotiate a buy-back option for the summer of 2024.

Partey has five goals and four assists in 104 appearances for Arsenal, who vetoed his departure in the summer amid allegations of interest from Juve and Saudi clubs.

Juventus Eyes January Move for Man Utd’s Jadon Sancho

October 8, 2023 by Cric Habit

In the January transfer window, Juventus are reportedly eager to lure Jadon Sancho away from Manchester United.

The former Borussia Dortmund player has now been excluded from the squad for nearly a month after publicly criticizing Erik ten Hag for leaving him out of the squad to face Arsenal last month.

Ten Hag said that Sancho’s training performances were subpar, which was contradicted by the winger, who instead claimed that he had been made a “scapegoat” in a shocking social media remark.

While that tweet has since been removed, Sancho is still claimed to be in exile after allegedly refusing to apologize to Ten Hag, and he is even said to be excluded from all first-team facilities.

Sancho was again absent from the team for Saturday’s 2-1 win against Brentford, and Ten Hag was brief when questioned about the Englishman’s predicament.

Sancho is under contract at Old Trafford for another three seasons, but with no end in sight to the standoff, a departure in 2024 appears to be unavoidable.

A return to Dortmund, where he scored 114 goals in 137 games, has been suggested, and Sancho is thought to be eager on a Signal Iduna Park reunion in January.

However, BVB are reportedly hesitant to re-sign Sancho due to concerns over the player’s timekeeping and sleep schedule, although he may be offered an alternate escape route.

According to The Sun, Juventus want to bring the 23-year-old to Serie A in the middle of the season and might offer Man United £60 million to make his stay permanent next summer.

The article says that Juve would demand Man United to pay half of Sancho’s £350,000k-per-week salaries while he works under Massimiliano Allegri in Turin.

Nonetheless, considering Man United’s eagerness to offload the attacker, the Bianconeri are optimistic about achieving an agreement under those parameters.

Man United won a heated struggle to get Sancho from Dortmund in 2021, paying £73 million for the Englishman’s services, but he has only 12 goals and six assists in 82 games.

Last season, the former Manchester City teenager spent a significant amount of time away from the first team to work on physical and mental issues, and he failed to score or assist in three Premier League games this season before being demoted.

Along with Sancho’s absence, Manchester United had to deal with Antony’s absence for a few weeks as the Brazilian fought charges of domestic violence from three women, which he rejected.

However, after submitting to police questioning, the Brazilian returned to the squad and came off the bench as a second-half substitute in Saturday’s thrilling win over Brentford, when Scott McTominay scored two injury-time goals to cancel out a Mathias Jensen opening.