Juventus are working on two majorly ambitious transfer deals as they look to strengthen their midfield with both Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Aston Villa midfielder Luiz is seen as an opportunity for Juve, though it will require player sales and possibly offloading players as part of a swap deal.
Koopmeiners remains a priority for the Italian giants, but for now Romano says Juve are working on signing both players.
Luiz, however, looks a tricky deal to get done, while Romano adds that the Brazil international also has interest from clubs in the Premier League who could still get involved.
The transfer news expert did not yet name any specific teams from England who could try to rival Juventus for Luiz, but it seems this could still be an interesting story to keep an eye on in the coming days and weeks.
Major Juventus transfer update from Fabrizio Romano
“Juventus will work on Koopmeiners, but they see an opportunity with Luiz. There are, however, two crucial points,” Romano said.
“The first one is the salary – Luiz has an important salary at Aston Villa, and so his salary with Juve would have to be in line with what they give to their other big players, or the deal is not going to be possible. And the other crucial point, as of today, is that the only way for Juventus to make this transfer happen is with a swap deal. Juve can’t go to Villa and pay €60m – they want to negotiate with Villa and this will follow in the next days, but the only way is with a swap deal.
“In terms of players who could be involved, Juve are prepared to discuss Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior. Both players are out of contract next summer at Juventus, and not currently close to extending their contracts. Both players are being discussed, but the cash will also be crucial for Aston Villa.
“If it doesn’t work out with Juventus, other clubs could enter the race for Luiz, as there is also interest from the Premier League. Luiz is open, the salary will be important, so let’s see what happens.”