There has been contract chaos between the Turin titans and arguably their best players. Stalls stalled some time ago between the club hierarchy with both striker Dusan Vlahovic and whizzy winger Kenan Yildiz.
Vlahovic, who has been Juve's top scorer every season since arriving from Fiorentina in 2022, became Serie A's highest-paid player on a whopping €12 million (US$14m) a season. Juventus wanted to extend his contract, but on a drastic reduction down to €8m (US$9.3m).
The Serbia star, whose nation failed to navigate their way into next year's FIFA World Cup, could collect more than the wage tabled by Juventus elsewhere but turned down opportunities in the Saudi Pro League and the Turkish Super Lig.
Vlahovic seems settled in Italy, although clearly wants a shot at tackling the Premier League. His representatives tried unsuccessfully to broker a deal in the English top tier, but teams were unwilling to pay his hefty salary on top of a transfer fee when he becomes a free agent next June.
There are a clutch of clubs showing serious interest in acquiring the 25-year-old during the winter transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur the latest side linked. While a quartet of leading clubs have ear-marked Vlahovic as a top priority signing.
Gentleman's agreement for Juve ace
Yet Damien Comolli, recently promoted to Juve's SEO, has been reported in the Italian media that there is a gentleman's agreement with Vlahovic and Juventus to re-open contract negotiations at the end of the summer.
Vlahovic is at the peak of his powers and shown his worth under three different managers over the past 18 months. Despite his goalscoring exploits for Juve, he has yet to become a fan favorite in Turin, and could earn the respect he deserves at another Serie A side. Both AC Milan and Inter Milan are monitoring his availability.
Juventus Next Gen graduate Yildiz has four years remaining on his deal, but his agent Jorges Mendez has been pushing for the 20-year-old Turkish talent to extent his contract and be rewarded with a sizeable wage increase.
The club are only willing to pay €5m (US$5.8m), but Yildiz's representative is demanding a further two years and to hike his current salary to €6m (US$7m) a season. Having excelled for club and country, Yildiz is an emerging superstar with a plethora of top European sides constantly linked with signing him for a high price.
Although Juventus seem happy to cash in on a player that came through the ranks after they snatched him from Bayern Munich, losing such a talent who could become one of the world's best if under the right tutelage.
Spalletti to rely on Yildiz and Vlahovic
Both Yildiz and Vlahovic remain borderline world class players, having yet to set the Champions League alight with their skills. Their Serie A career has been a rollercoaster ride, but one of the reasons that former Italy manager Spalletti was appointed is because he steered Napoli to the 2022/23 Scudetto by building a team around a traditional no9 and winger.
Spalletti is expected to utilize the two-week international break to tweak his tactics, having made a stuttering yet unbeaten start in his three matches at Juventus. He is a versatile coach, whose ill-fated time at Italy ended in disaster when he implemented a lone striker.
Although Spalletti followed Igor Tudor's one-dimensional and underwhelming tactics for his trio of matches before the break, the 66-year-old has opportunity to revert to the highly successful 4-3-3 formation that worked wonders for Napoli.
Spalletti has inherited a lightweight squad, with confidence low and some players misfiring. Former Italy defender Daniele Rugani had such a nightmare game in the scoreless Derby della Mole against Torino that he was hauled off after 45 minutes.
Striking problems for Juventus
Two strikers signed in the summer have yet to adapt to the slow pace in Serie A, who have only managed one goal between them this year.
Juve are keen to sell Canadian goal poacher Jonathan David in January, and replace him with a reliable forward. Unorthodox Lois Openda has yet to find the back of the net for Juventus. Although he has pace, the Belgium international looks lost with the Bianconeri.
Dipping into the January transfer window and increasing the wages for Vlahovic and Yildiz are restricted by the constraints of Financial Fair Play, with Barcelona among the clubs ready to pounce for their signatures next summer. Juve's transactions are being closely monitored by UEFA, so offloading players is a priority for Juventus to free up some spending money.
Spalletti is aiming to kickstart his Juve career after the international break, but he is limited with the troops he has at his disposal although could give both fringe players a shot as well as elevating some of the Juventus Next Gen standouts.