We are running out of adjectives while emphasizing how much of an important period this approaching summer transfer window could prove to be for Juventus’ both short and long term futures.
There is no joy in denying that the Bianconeri has gone through some wretched time since parting ways with their most successful manager of the 21st century, Massimiliano Allegri — the man who has been linked again with a return to Juve’s helm should Andrea Pirlo depart in the imminent future.
But a triumphant manager without the appropriate players would suffer in the same way as a specialist Formula 1 driver without an apt car — just see how Sebastian Vettel’s career has gone downhill since joining Aston Martin from Ferrari.
Yes, we are losing track here. So, the point is that Juventus need to undertake a complete revamp and make requisite alternations in order to gain the advantage over those sitting quite comfortably above them in both Italy and the European circuit.
While speaking about transfers, there is one rumour that has had recently been a subject of excitement amongst the Serie A observers.
What is the rumour?
Goal.com’s Romeo Agresti reports that Juventus and Milan are considering a swap deal where Juve would send Federico Bernardeschi to their rivals in exchange for center back Alessio Romagnoli.
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Both Romagnoli and Bernardeschi will see their contracts with the respective clubs getting expired on June 30, 2022, meaning they have already entered the final 16 months of their current terms.
The story further claims that despite initiating contract renewal talks, both clubs have not yet made any remarkable progress in negations.
The need for carrying out smart business in the upcoming summer transfer window is imperative, with both the Old Lady and the Rossoneri losing a reasonable amount of money due to the financial crisis bestowed upon the footballing world from the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is a high probability that Juventus club captain Giorgio Chiellini might hang his boots following the end of the ongoing 2020-21 campaign. And on the back of his potential departure, Juventus would be needing the service of a left-footed centre-back.
Left-footed, Alessio Romagnoli could then come into action, filling the berth relinquished by the rumoured absence of Giorgio Chiellini.
But, as mentioned in the title of the piece, the deal doesn’t seem easy-on-the-eye at all from any perspective as each of them will be required to gauge the depth of the canal before diving into it.
Here are some notable factors that could be the main reasons the heavyweights of Italian football would eventually not get involved in business this summer.
The ambitious salary of the Juventus man
As stated in a report by Sport Mediaset, playing for the Old Lady, Federico Bernardeschi earns a net salary of €4 million per year. The Italian outlet believes that AC Milan would not be able to afford the sum amid the pandemic situation.
The data from La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Rossoneriblog.com) denotes that AC Milan pays their captain Alessio Romagnoli a gross salary of €3.5 million, which is way less than what Juve spends yearly on the former Fiorentina man.
Furthermore, Sport Mediaset declares that Bernardeschi is not amongst the priorities for Paolo Maldini and Stefano Pioli this summer. As a result, a stark contrast has unfolded between what should happen to this possible deal and what might happen due to various unprecedented scenarios.
The sell-on clause in Romagnoli’s contract
Signed from AS Roma in 2015 for a reported transfer fee of €25 million, Alessio Romagnoli has a freakish sell-on clause in his current contract, with an option describing that any move over €25 million for the Milan captain would see the Giallorossi pocketing 25 percent of the part exceeding those €25 million.
It means if AC Milan were to sell the 26-year-old in the upcoming summer transfer window for an amount of €50 million, the Rossoneri would receive €25 million while 25 percent of the remaining €25 million would straight go to AS Roma’s bank, owing to the sell-on clause that Roma injected in the centre-back’s contract while letting him leave.
Therefore, making a straight swap with Juventus’ Federico Bernardeschi would, as Sport Mediaset put it, lose a lot of “economic appeal” out of the imminent departure of the Anzio-born defender.
Andrea Pirlo’s uncertain future in Turin
On the back of nine years of total domination, almost everyone expected Juventus to continue their impeccable run in Serie A. Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan was thought to be a worthy challenger at the start of the campaign this term as well, but that was all. It was completely unimaginable to think of Juventus being 11 points behind the table-toppers with only nine games to go in the campaign back then.
Despite individual errors and inconsistency being Juventus’ foe this season, Andrea Pirlo deserves the fair share of criticism. They won last night in Serie A against Napoli via a 2-1 scoreline, but it was rather an unconvincing performance than one expressing the pain and grief aroused from losing valuable points against the sides like Benevento and Torino or getting knocked out of the Champions League after a two-legged tie against Porto.
In all, dark clouds loom over Andrea Pirlo’s tenure at Juventus. And it will get darker with each subpar display on the pitch.
A winger by trade, Bernadeschi has never played in his preferred position under the management of Il Maestro, with the former regista in Juve’s midfield deploying him as a left-sided midfielder and frequently as a left-back — positions that have not had surely helped Bernadeschi’s expertise.
A change in management could witness a turn of events next season. A new appointment could help the 27-year-old rediscover his productive shoes. Consequently, there is no need to make any agreement over a potential deal in a flash.
Waiting for the season to end and then pondering upon the exchange after evaluating all the possible outcomes would be the most precise method to deal with what has all the ingredients of a complicated transfer saga this summer.