Cash-strapped Juventus are desperate to offload numerous players, especially those worth high transfer fees and earning steep salaries, before they can dip into bringing in fresh legs.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz was unveiled as a marquee signing for Thiago Motta at Juve last summer, but failed miserably in the Italian top-flight.
He cost the Bianconeri €50 million (US$58.1m) from Aston Villa, with Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior heading in the other direction from Turin to the English top tier. All three players ended up as total flops.
Luiz failed to score or provide a goal assist for Juventus. Barrenechea was loaned to Valencia last term, and is on a season-long loan at Benfica. Iling-Junior was shipped out on loans to Bologna and Middlesborough.
Massive transfer fee drop
Although Luiz’s price tag has plummeted to €30m (US$34.9m), Premier League clubs are fully aware of Juve’s financial predicament so prefer to take the 27-year-old on loan with a conditional obligation to buy than splash the cash on a permanent deal.
Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are all in the race to land Luiz.
He always looked despondent in a Juve jersey, but will need regular minutes somewhere if he wishes to compete at next year’s FIFA World Cup finals that will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
United are the favourites to lure Luiz, who could be used as part of a swap deal involving left winger Jadon Sancho’s long awaited arrival at Juventus. Yet Napoli, the Serie A defending champions, are lining up a move to scupper the Bianconeri for the 25-year-old who spent last season with Chelsea.
Little impact from Luiz
Juventus fans should not be upset to see Luiz leave. His disappointing debut Serie A season resulted in just 516 minutes, which was largely down to five different injuries and substandard fitness levels.
Luiz fell down the pecking order once Igor Tudor took over from Motta in March, and failed to bounce back into favor.
He did manage to play 45 minutes against UAE Pro League Al-Ain FC in Juve’s Club World Cup opener, but after that appearance became an unused substitute for the other three matches.
Luiz’s potential sale would assist Juventus financially, as his salary last term was €4.4 million (US$5.1m). A season-long loan could trim Juve’s wage bill, but would be dependent on the agreement between the two clubs involved.
Juve among favorites for Scudetto
Bookies surprisingly make Juventus the third favorite team to lift the 2025/26 Scudetto, pipped by defending champions Napoli and Inter Milan. Such short odds are not at all reflective of their current situation.
That puts high expectations on Tudor, who has been quiet during the summer. Although their pre-season training has yet to kick off, as they traveled to the US for what ended up as a labored Club World Cup campaign.
The no-nonsense Croatian faces challenges to tweak the squad he inherited, especially if players are moved on as loanees rather than outright sales.
The saga continues over Luiz. There are a plethora of replacements lined up for him, but the Bianconeri may yet turn down approaches unless he is purchased outright so they can dip into the transfer market.