Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has only goal poacher Jonathan David and unorthodox attacker Lois Openda as fit recognized forwards. Former Poland international Arkadiusz Milik has not played a competitive match for over 500 days, while sharp-shooter Dusan Vlahovic will be missing until at least March following a high-grade adductor injury.
David and Openda are jostling to be the lone target man for Juve, although Spalletti could opt to introduce either American ace Weston McKennie or Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz as a makeshift center forward. Yildiz could also be utilized as a false no9 or traditional no10.
The legendary Neymar, now aged 33 but tearing up the top flight in his native Brazil, has just resurfaced on the Bianconeri's radar. He would command a steep salary if he switched from Santos FC to Juventus during January's transfer window.
There are two notable alternative strikers to Neymar, both young and showing plenty of promise. Borussia Dortmund's Fabio Silva and Genoa's Joi Nuredini.
Serie A sides monitor striker Silva
Former Portugal U21 star Silva only moved to the Bungesliga last summer from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers for €22.5 million (US$26.2m). He was previously linked with AS Roma and AC Milan, who could renew their interest, while Juventus have also been linked.
The 23-year-old, who missed the start of the season with adductor problems, has only played a dozen matches for Borussia Dortmund. The trio of Serie A sides are monitoring his potential availability as he has only played 59 league minutes in the league and 224 minutes in total during this campaign.
Silva could contemplate being loaned out in order to obtain regular minutes as his goal is to be called up to tackle the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. He has only played once for Portugal, which was over a year old.
He has also been linked with Bayern Munich and Spanish side Sevilla, with Borussia Dortmund demanding around €30m (US$35m) to make a tidy and swift profit.
Teenager Nuredini on Juve's radar
A much cheaper option for Juve would be turning to the Albanian striker Nuredini to fill in for Vlahovic and play alongside either David or Openda as a secondary striker.
The 18-year-old, yet to make his Serie A debut, turns out for Genoa's Primavera team. He is deemed to be a rising star, with the club recently extending his contract until 2028.
Belgium club Anderlecht are also serious about securing Nuredini's signature in one of the next two winter transfer windows.