Juventus eye up cut-price Barcelona youth product to fill gap

The Turin titans are chasing an U21 Spain international to join defensive duo Joao Mario and Nicolo Savona. 
Asking price for Girona star Arnau Martinez suits cash-strapped Juventus
Asking price for Girona star Arnau Martinez suits cash-strapped Juventus | Denis Doyle/GettyImages

With Timothy Weah, who can sit as right-back or right midfielder, about to sign a deal for Olympique Marseille, the Bianconeri need a reliable figure to tackle next season.

Girona’s Arnau Martinez, who joined the Manchester City feeder club as a 15-year-old in 2018 having kicked off his career at Barcelona, is firmly on Juve’s radar.

The right-back, who played a pivotal role in helping Girona gain promotion to La Liga for the 2022/23 campaign, has been a regular in the Spanish top-flight.

His eye-catching performances in La Liga and last term’s Champions League has attracted the attention of AC Milan, Crystal Palace, Juventus and West Ham United. Martinez has made a dozen appearances for the Spain U21 team.

Bargain asking price for Martinez

Despite his contract expiring in two years, Martinez is available for just €10 million (US$11.6m). This sort of figure will be music to the ears of the Juventus hierarchy as the club are cash-strapped this summer.

Yet Juventus have other players in their sights to fill the right-back position, which includes veteran Jonathan Clauss, Fiorentina’s Dodo and long-term target Nahuel Molina.

Tudor is eyeing up a move for his former Olympique Marseille charge Clauss, who he coached when manager of the French side during their 2022/23 campaign. Clauss scored twice and provided a dozen goal assists from 42 appearances for Tudor.

The 32-year-old French international, who currently plies his trade with Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, is available at a low transfer fee of €7m (US$8.1m).

Dodo deal would be pricey for Juve

Brazil star Dodo would be a much more expensive acquisition for Juventus, with a market value of €25m (US$28.9m). The 26-year-old is also being monitored by Barcelona, Inter Milan and Napoli.

Argentina ace Molina, the 27-year-old Atletico Madrid defender, was wanted by the Bianconeri in 2022. He won the World Cup a few months after snubbing Juve and signing for the La Liga giants.

Tudor is facing a tough task during the summer transfer window, desperately attempting to offload misfits to raise finances to buy players before their Serie A campaign kicks off on 24 August.