Saturday’s disappointing 2-2 stalemate against Serie B outfit AC Reggiana may have triggered off upping the ante as far as this summer’s transfer targets are concerned.
Juve will tackle Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund for their final pre-season friendly in Germany on 14 August, and are lagging behind in the transfer market.
A trio of midfielders are unlikely to be sporting a Juve jersey for the Serie A opener against Parma at the Allianz Stadium. Unwanted Douglas Luiz is edging ever closer to a Premier League return, Weston McKennie’s future remains uncertain and Fabio Miretti is negotiating a move to Napoli.
Juventus head coach Igor Tudor has hardly been supported by the cash-strapped club, yet there is serious interest over Sofyan Amrabat who made over 100 appearances for Fiorentlna.
Back-to-back loans for Fiorentina ace
The 28-year-old midfielder was among the stars when Morocco reached the 2022 World Cup semi-finals in Qatar, which resulted in a move from Fiorentina to Manchester United.
Having come through the academy of FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie, he was reunited with former boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford on a season-long loan.
Amrabat made 30 appearances for Manchester United during the 2023/24 campaign, and last summer joined Fenerbahce from Fiorentina on loan with an obligation to buy.
Mourinho pushing for Amrabat exit
Despite the Istanbul club signing Amrabat on a permanent basis for $12 million (US$13.9m) last month, Jose Mourinho seems eager to offload the defensive midfielder.
A part swap involving Amrabat and Luiz was rejected as the Juve misfit’s representatives felt that the Turkish Super Lig would hamper Luiz’s chances to represent Brazil at next year’s World Cup finals.
Former Juventus boss Max Allegri is keen to add Amrabat to his new-look AC Milan squad, while the lure of joining NEOM SC in the mega-rich Saudi Pro League is also an option.
The Bianconeri cannot afford to play a waiting game if they are truly serious about landing Amrabat for around $17m (US$19.6m) from Fenerbahce, especially as Atalanta are monitoring his availability.
Amrabat's has a strong track record in the Italian top tier, which could sway Juve to splash the cash rather than risk more flops than last year's midfield arrivals of Teun Koopmeiners and Luiz.