Did Gianluca Scamacca convince Juventus to take a closer look?

Juventus defeated Genoa 3-1 on Serie A’s Matchday 30 to make it two wins in a row. Even though the Bianconeri were the ones who lit up the scoresheet behind Alvaro Morata, Dejan Kulusevski, and substitute Weston McKennie, Genoa’s lone goal-scorer Gianluca Scamacca made quite the statement by finding the back of the net.

Scamacca has been squarely on Juve’s radar since the winter transfer market. Sassuolo is his current parent club, as he is on loan at Genoa. But Sassuolo would not agree to a fee that Juve felt was reasonable, so they passed on signing the Italian striker this winter.

So the 22-year-old had a point to prove on Sunday afternoon at the Allianz Stadium. With leading goal-scorer Mattia Destro out and Goran Pandev in the XI next to him, the floor was Scamacca’s against Italy’s largest club. And Scamacca made good on his chance to impress.

He was a nuisance for the great center back pairing of Matthijs de Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini to deal with. Scamacca was constantly getting open in the box. He made one great play where he turned in between de Ligt and Chiellini for a clear look on goal, but Wojciech Szczesny denied him with a world-class save.

Gianluca Scamacca has the potential to be a Juventus-quality player

Scamacca would get his goal later, though, heading the ball into the back of the net after de Ligt slipped on a corner. The striker would get another chance for Genoa shortly after, but this header went over the bar.

Despite being subbed off in the 68th minute, Scamacca made a positive impact against Juventus. He showed that he has the physical tools necessary to become a very good striker in the future and a Juve-quality player. Right now, Scamacca is a raw talent and inconsistent, but when he’s on, he looks like a potential star.

At 22, there’s a lot of room for Scamacca to improve. He would not start for Juventus if he were to sign with the Bianconeri, but he could get frequent playing time as a backup. With Alvaro Morata’s future uncertain, Scamacca could become a more important target for the Bianconeri this summer.

Sometimes when a player seizes an opportunity by playing well and scoring in a head-to-head match against a big club interested in them, they become more coveted by that club. In Scamacca’s case, that may be true. But the deciding factor will still probably be Sassuolo’s asking price. Calciomercato.com says Sassuolo want no less than 20 million euros, which seems reasonable from their perspective, given Scamacca’s age and potential.

Scamacca will have to do more than score once against Juventus in a match to seal a transfer. He needs to finish the season strong. But if he aims for a big move to Turin, he certainly helped his case on Sunday, even in a defeat for his team.