The 26-year-old has previously been told to look for other clubs during his rollercoaster career with the Bianconeri, on top of the disappointment of Leeds United rejecting to buy him following a loan two years ago.
Now Juventus are contemplating a three-year contract extension that would tie McKennie to the club until 2029. He is viewed as a valuable asset, having attracted much interest during the January transfer window.
A signed deal would offer Juve better negotiating power if a substantial offer is tabled for the club’s longest-serving midfielder. He initially arrived on loan in August 2020 to become the club’s inaugural US player, and signed a permanent contract in March 2021.
The US international soon earned silverware in a Juve jersey, by winning the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2020/2021 Coppa Italia under head coach Andrea Pirlo and his assistant Igor Tudor.
Max Allegri was reappointed after Pirlo and Tudor were sacked. McKennie remained a key figure for the Turin titans, until he was sidelined by season-ending metatarsal injury in February 2022.
The following season McKennie joined Leeds United, despite interest from Arsenal, during the winter transfer window. He made 16 Premier League appearances, but the club were relegated on the last day of the season.
Without the top tier finances, Leeds sent him back to Turin rather than let him tackle the physically challenging Championship.
Back to win a trophy
Allegri utilized McKennie during the next Serie campaign, with the midfielder clinching the Coppa Italia for a second time. But the boss got the boot following his misconduct towards officials at the Coppa Italia final.
There had already been shenanigans going on behind the scenes at Juventus, with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli singling out Thiago Motta. The Bologna head coach gave a verbal agreement about taking the reins for the 2024/25 campaign, turning down interest from AC Milan.
Motta had guided Bologna to their first shot at European football by finishing fifth in Serie A, and swiftly made drastic decisions about Juventus personnel.
McKennie joined whizzy winger Federico Chiesa and shotstopper Wojciech Szczesny at being exiled by Motta. Chiesa moved to Liverpool, Szczesny joined Barcelona while McKennie remained but was omitted from the Juve squad for their final two pre-season matches.
Future away from Turin
McKennie was advised to look for another club as he was not part of Project Motta, a three-year plan to return Juventus to their glory days.
He didn’t get snapped up and turned down joining Aston Villa as a part-swap deal to bring Douglas Luiz to the Bianconeri.
He was an unused substitute for the opening Serie A game of the season, when Juventus romped past Como 3-0, in August.
So it came as a surprise that he was offered a contract extension until June 2026 the following month. Giuntoli went on record to state that McKennie was never out of Project Motta.
Slow start to the season
He was initially little used this campaign, partly down to a muscle fatigue problem, until starting his first league match in mid-December.
Motta was wobbling, with fans and pundits on his back and calling for his head. With the potential failure to qualify for next year’s Champions League and financial constraints, the club considered cutting contract renewals for a plethora of players including McKennie.
Scouts arrived like vultures at the Allianz Stadium in Turin to rue their eye over McKennie and his team-mates. There was notable interest in McKennie from Everton and Villa, Inter Miami, Turkish giants Galatasaray as well as Serie A rivals AC Milan, Atalanta and Fiorentina.
Instead Motta got the boot, following two hefty back-to-back defeats, with Giuntoli calling upon Tudor to return for a rescue mission. His objective was to qualify for the highly lucrative Champions League with nine matches remaining.
Massive Serie A showdowns
Juventus tackle the next two Serie A games against rivals for a coveted top four finish, which would secure involvement in Europe’s top club competition next term.
Tudor takes his troops to Bologna and then to Lazio, with a third place finish possible if Juve can clinch a pair of victories.
McKennie is expected to start both games, but may well only sign a new long-term contract if Juventus are competing in next season’s Champions League.
He knows his value to any top club as he is a modern midfielder by offering in droves both defensive solidity and attacking impetus. Juventus won’t want to lose such an influential box-to-box player, so will be pushing to secure his signature.