Striker Kolo Muani became Thiago Motta’s dream signing, arriving in January on loan from Paris Saint-Germain until the end of June. The €1 million (US$1.08m) price tag seemed a bargain after he bagged five goals in his first three Serie A appearances.
Yet Muani failed to impress in cup ties, and after his instant impact has been almost invisible in league games. His dramatic drop in form has ended in a goal drought, although that hasn’t put off a clutch of Premier League clubs.
Elite English outfits have been sending their scouts to the Allianz Stadium this year as they have a serious interest in a number of Juve players.
Stars on show at Juventus
Attacking quartet Muani, Belgian’s Samuel Mbangula, Turkish teenager Kenan Yildiz and Serbia ace Dusan Vlahovic all appear on the summer wishlist of Premier League sides. However, Mbangula seems not to be for sale as Juventus turned down a bid from West Ham United this year.
Shotstopper Michele Di Gregorio, defenders Andrea Cambiaso and Federico Gatti as well as midfielder Douglas Luiz and Weston McKennie also appear on the summer shopping list of Premier League clubs.
Muani could be snapped up by Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur for just €50m (US$54m).
His dismal displays in recent weeks, constantly chosen over Juve’s top scorer Vlahovic by the now departed Motta, meant that he was on the bench for yesterday’s visit of Genoa.
Tudor's choices pair up well
Newly-installed interim head coach Igor Tudor has publicly voiced that he believes Vlahovic is the best striker in Serie A, which means Muani’s season seems over unless there’s an injury to either Yildiz or Vlahovic.
Tudor’s maiden match resulted in a slender 1-0 success, Yildiz on target after 25 minutes having been set up by Vlahovic. Tudor actually had a hand in the strike, as he eagerly retrieved the ball for Teun Koopmeiners to find Vlahovic.
With Tudor having favourite players, and praising the pairing of Yildiz and Vlahovic in his post-match press conference, Muani could become an outcast like he was with the Ligue 1 champions in Paris.
PSG splashed €95m (US$102.6m) to bring Muani from German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023. He made just two starts under manager Luis Enrique this season, so was shipped out on loan in January.
It became a stop-start signing for Juventus, and almost didn’t happen. A handful of Premier League clubs were waiting in the wings if the loan collapsed, and have shown interest ever since.