There’s been some serious transfer talk about Weston McKennie leaving the Bianconeri, he has been omitted from the US roster for their set of friendlies and now the 27-year-old is being touted to switch positions on a temporary basis for the Turin titans.
McKennie’s contract expires next June, but talks have stalled about a renewal, which has resulted in Juve being open to offers for their midfield maestro.
Although a handful of clubs have shown a glimmer of interest, there’s been no concrete offers. Unless he is offloaded in the winter, then he could leave as a free agent although negotiations for a new deal appear more likely.
McKennie, who has 60 international caps, has dramatically slipped down the pecking order since Mauricio Pochettino was announced as USA head coach last September.
The Texan has only competed in four matches, playing less than 300 minutes, under the former Tottenham Hotspur boss despite being a regular starter at Juventus.
McKennie picked club over country
McKennie, who opted to compete in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup for Juve rather than represent the US at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, was given time to recover by Pochettino for their recent friendlies.
He has been overlooked for the latest friendlies against South Korea and Japan. Yet Timothy Weah, his Juve team-mate who is on loan at Olympique Marseille, has been brought back into the squad by Pochettino.
There could be some good news on the horizon for McKennie, who arrived as an 89th-minute substitute in place of Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz for last weekend’s Serie A opener against Parma. He may be recalled to the starting line-up when Juve tackle Genoa on Sunday.
Left-back Andrea Cambiaso, who bagged a brace against Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly, is suspended for the next two Juve games. He was given his marching orders for using his arm to deliberately hit Parma’s Mathias Lovik in the face.
Tudor's conundrum to replace Cambiaso
Juve head coach Igor Tudor needs to fill Cambiaso’s void as left wing-back with the choice of Nicolas Gonzalez, Filip Kostic or McKennie.
Tudor’s maiden match as Juve’s interim manager saw McKennie successfully unleashed in that position. He was utilized as a left wing-back against Lazio and Lecce, and took over the role when Cambiaso was sidelined with an ankle injury.
If McKennie can impress against Genoa, then following the international break he could resume the role for the mouthwatering Derby d’Italia clash with Inter Milan in Turin on 13 September.