Although Juventus are busy exploring a plethora of players to reinforce their lightweight squad, one area that they seem to have nailed is between the sticks.
There’s been criticism over Juve’s established no1 Michele Di Gregorio this term, especially after his two errors led to Borussia Dortmund netting four times in the Champions League.
Reserve keeper Mattia Perin has only made one appearance in a Juve jersey this campaign, for the 2-2 stalemate at Villarreal. He is biting at the bit to be given a run in Serie A to prove his worth to manager Igor Tudor.
While third-choice shotstopper Carlo Pinsoglio’s contract with Juventus expires next June. The veteran is a big influence both at training and in the dressing room, but has only played 247 minutes since the 2017/18 campaign.
Di Gregorio was a huge success in his debut season with the Turin titans, which attracted the attention of a string of Premier League clubs including Manchester City.
Although Perin has been pushed out, Pinsoglio has not had a sniff at playing under Tudor. Not even when he was the back-up at the FIFA Club World Cup, when Perin was sidelined by injury.
Perin, who last season extended his contract with Juventus until 2027, could be coaxed by potential Serie A opportunities next summer. The ex-Genoa shotstopper only featured in nine competitive games last season, all under former boss Thiago Motta.
News that France no1 Mike Maignan is expected to leave Max Allegri’s AC Milan when his deal expires in June has alerted a cluster of clubs, including Juventus.
The Italian giants will compete with the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United for the charismatic 30-year-old, although Milan will not be wanting the French Guiana ace to join a Serie A rival.
Italian no1 Gianluigi Donnarumma was on the wanted list of Chelsea, Juve and Manchester United this summer. Yet the 26-year-old switched Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
AC Milan keeper's pre-contract talks
Maignan, who won the 2020/21 French title with LOSC Lille, is unlikely to sign a contract extension with the Rossoneri. He can enter pre-contract talks with clubs when the winter transfer window closes.
Moving from the San Siro to Turin is most likely to hinge on Juventus securing Champions League soccer next term. There could be a mass exodus should they fail to finish in Serie A’s top four to reach Europe’s leading club competition.
Di Gregorio, who signed a four-year deal with Juve following his season-long loan from Monza, would stand little chance of regular minutes competing with Maignan. This would jeopardize his chances of an international call-up by Italy.
He has plenty of admirers in the Premier League, having over the past two summers turned down approaches by elite English clubs.
Perin exit likely if Maignan joins Juve
Perin, whose contract runs until June 2027, would probably also look for an escape route rather than play second fiddle to Maignan. He boasts an impressive Juventus record of 25 clean sheets from 57 appearances.
That leaves Pinsoglio potentially being elevated to second-choice keeper should the veteran opt for a contract extension.Maignan returned from injury to keep out former Lille team-mate Jonathan David in the recent scoreless draw at Juventus, his fifth clean sheet this term.
Having won the 202122 Scudetto in his first season with Milan, Maignan could play a pivotal role in guiding the club to another Serie A crown.
While there remains uncertainty about Champions League soccer at Juve next season, as well as who will be head coach if things continue to stutter under Tudor, Di Gregorio joins the ever-increasing list of players who feel unsettled at Juventus.