Juventus Transfers: ‘Matter of time’ until Juve lose Dejan Kulusevski for good

Juventus are set to lose Dejan Kulusevski for good with Tottenham poised to trigger the permanent buy-out clause in the Swede’s 18-month loan deal very soon. 

After joining Juve in the summer of 2020 having been signed the previous January from Atalanta, Kulusevski struggled to assert himself in Turin during his fairly brief time with the Bianconeri.

The versatile playmaker flashed his majesty at various points during Andrea Pirlo’s sole season at the helm, but he never convinced Massimiliano Allegri after the returning boss succeeded Pirlo as manager at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Thus, the vast majority of Juventino were content with the club’s decision to loan Kulusevski to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham in January. During the first half of the season, the 21-year-old had racked up barely 750 Serie A minutes, scoring just once and adding three assists.

Very few foreshadowed the impact he would have in the Premier League

Juventus are poised to lose Dejan Kulusevski for good with Tottenham ready to trigger permanent buy-out clause

Kulusevski’s wonderful assist for Son Heung-min’s hat-trick goal against Aston Villa on Saturday was his sixth in the Premier League. Since his arrival, only teammate Harry Kane can match the Swede’s haul in the division.

The ginger from Sweden has, quite simply, been a revelation in north London.

‘Deki’ as he likes to be known, had already scored his third Premier League goal amid yet another majestic performance at Villa Park. He’s transformed Spurs’ already potent attack into, arguably, the most destructive trident on the planet with Kane and Son both benefitting from his arrival.

Alongside former Juventus players Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero, Kulusevski has rapidly emerged as a fan-favourite among the Lilywhite faithful. This trio of ex-Bianconeri talents have re-ignited Spurs’ stuttering campaign under Conte, and they’re now in a brilliant position to snatch the all-important final Champions League spot.

Kulusevski’s stellar form means it’s no surprise that Spurs want to tie the 21-year-old down for the long haul. The crafty forward initially joined the club on an 18-month loan with a mandatory €35m permanent buy-out clause if Spurs qualified for the Champions League next season, or he played in 50% (at least 45 minutes) of their Premier League games in 2022/23.

The Lilywhites, though, likely won’t wait that long and Fabrizio Romano reports that it’s a ‘matter of time’ until Spurs trigger the option to buy in the player’s contract.

For Juventini, Kulusevski’s rise in north London is a tough pill to swallow. The talent that the Swede manifested during his stellar 2019/20 campaign with Parma has come to the fore once more. He’s playing like a ready-made Paulo Dybala replacement!

Why it didn’t work out for him in Turin isn’t an easy question to answer, but you suspect that Max Allegri and his inhibiting system might’ve had plenty to do with it.