Juventus were given the runaround in all positions during their disappointing 5-2 reversal at the hands of mighty Manchester City in their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup tie.
Juve head coach Igor Tudor needs to act quickly to land any of his summer targets, although the club are busy competing in the cash-rich Club World Cup, as his squad needs strengthening.
Tonali was a dream
Although the Bianconeri chased Newcastle United’s former AC Milan star Sandro Tonali, this was a deal that simply was never going to happen. Not even with part-cash swap deals involving Douglas Luiz or Dusan Vlahovic.
Central midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, who netted eight goals in 24 Ligue 1 appearances for Lens last season, is the latest name linked with Juventus.
The French-Moroccan has serious interest from Lazio, following recommendation by their sporting director Angelo Fabiani to manager Maurizio Sarri, and is also on the radar of Aston Villa.
Lens bagged a bargain
El Aynaoui cost Lens just €600,000 (US$703,000) from Nancy in a four-year deal in 2023. He was on the verge of a big money switch to AS Monaco last summer, only to fail his medical because of a possible operation following an ankle sprain.
The 23-year-old Morocco U21 ace is back on the market, valued at €20 million (US$23.4m), which seems a bargain price for such an emerging talent.
There are a plethora of midfield back-up plans for Juve, which ambitiously include the much in-demand Brazilian Ederson from Atlanta.