Thanks to a strong start to the 2025-26 season, Hellas Verona fullback Rafik Belghali has become the interest of a good number of Italy’s bigger clubs. It just so happens that Juventus look to be one of those
clubs who are interested in trying to secure the services of the Algerian-born right back.
That is according to reports from TuttoJuve and SportItalia’s Alfredo Pedulla on Tuesday, with the former suggesting that Juventus have already held talks with Hellas Verona regarding a potential move for the 23-year-old Belghali in January. It will be an big opportunity for Hellas Verona to cash in on a player in Belghali who they signed for just €1.5 million plus bonuses from Belgian side Mechelen this past summer.
Juventus, according to Pedulla, face competition for Belghali from Inter and Roma. It is expected that he could cost a transfer fee upward of 10 times from what Hellas Verona signed him for in August. Belghali signed a four-year contract with Hellas.
Considering the price that is being thrown around, this could very well be the case that Juventus are interested in Belghali because they fully expect one of their only options on the right, summer signing Joao Mario, to head back to Portugal after a half-season in Turin that has been more about him not playing than what he’s actually done on the field. Who knows how much Juve could fetch for Joao Mario considering his total lack of playing time under Igor Tudor and now Luciano Spalletti, but they could very well end up spinning that money to Hellas Verona if they can make a deal work.
Plus, at the very least, a more viable option at right back would give Spalletti a more comfortable feeling whenever he does decide to pull the trigger on switching to a back four now that he’s starting to get some players back in defense, most notably Gleison Bremer.
If they are to secure his signature in January, Belghali would be the second fullback that Juventus have signed from Hellas Verona in the last two years following Juan Cabal’s arrival in the summer of 2024. That has been a mixed bag thus far, with the Colombian left back suffering a torn ACL all of three months into the 2024-25 season and being limited on minutes so far this year after his comeback.
