Juventus are at risk of losing talented young defender Koni De Winter this summer, with the teenager keen to start earning regular minutes at a senior level.
Massimiliano Allegri has rarely called upon the Bianconeri’s exciting youth crop this season, but he handed De Winter his senior debut last year as he came off the bench in a 4-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League.
The defender then made his first Juventus start on Matchday 6 of the group stage as the Bianconeri beat Malmo 1-0 in Turin.
Despite holding his own on the European stage, De Winter hasn’t featured at all for Juve during the second half of the season and Allegri’s reluctance to utilise youth could see the club lose one of their most talented academy products.
Talented young defender Koni De Winter could leave Juventus this summer in search of regular minutes at a senior level
Koni De Winter won't do another year being on the fringes of the Juve first team and playing for the Juve U23s. He’s likely to sign for a club abroad, either on loan or leave Juventus permanently.
— JuveFC (@juvefcdotcom) April 28, 2022
(@lucabianchin7 / @Gazzetta_it)
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Luca Bianchin (via @JuveFC), De Winter is keen to start earning regular minutes at a senior level. He doesn’t want to do another year of being on the fringes of Juve’s first team or playing for the club’s Under-23s.
As a result, the versatile Belgian Under-21 international could earn a loan move away this summer or leave Juventus permanently – likely to an overseas club.
De Winter recently endured heartbreak with Juve’s Under-19s as they were beaten on penalties by eventual victors Benfica in the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League.
It was the unsuccessful spot-kick of the highly-regarded Matias Soulé that confirmed defeat for the young Bianconeri. Soulé made his senior debut for Juventus last December and is poised to join the first team next season.
Fabio Miretti, Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Rovella are three others that could be a part of Juve’s senior squad for the 2022/23 campaign. De Winter, considering Juve’s need to refresh their defence, should be given the opportunity to prove his worth also, because the Bianconeri risk losing out on a gifted youngster whose versatility would be appreciated by the current boss.