Juventus head coach Motta is under increasing pressure in Turin following two defeats on the bounce, so bringing in the 26-year-old Austrian center-back should help his cause to win over fans and pundits.
His problems include centre-back Gleison Bremer and left-back Juan Cabal with long-term injuries, on top of the short-term loss of the services of defender Pierre Kalulu this week.
The 24-year-old pulled his hamstring during the first half of the Champions League debacle against Benfica, and is expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks. It meant that Federico Gatti was Motta’s sole natural defender in the back four against Benfica once Kalulu was withdrawn.
This revelation about Danso is somewhat of a surprise, given that Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has been coy about adding personnel during the current transfer window.
He told Sky Italia this week: “As of now, our transfer market is effectively closed. But we will keep an eye out for any opportunities that suit our requirements.”
There had been interest in Danso earlier this month, but Juventus were determined to maintain their stance that they didn’t wish to agree to a loan with an option to buy.
Danso is apparently arriving from French outfit RC Lens for an initial loan fee of €2.5 million (US$2.6m) for a short-term loan spell. If a deal goes through then he will follow recently recruited Renato Veiga, who is on loan from Chelsea.
Veiga, who was ineligible to play against Portuguese giants Benfica on Wednesday, is expected to partner Gatti when Empoli visit the Allianz Stadium on Sunday. However, Danso could be part of Motta’s squad if his medical and contract get hurried through.
Motta’s side looked despondent throughout their clash with Benfica, and to add insult to injury were jeered off by home fans at half-time and full-time. Empoli, who are on a seven-game winless run, are just the sort of opponents that Motta’s men need to tackle in order to stop the rot following back-to-back defeats.