One of Juventus’ most notable youngsters is heading out for his first experience of Italian football outside of the the Bianconeri ecosystem. And thankfully, it’s nothing more than just that.
According to reports from IlBianconero.com’s Romeo Agresti and Mirko Di Natale of TuttoJuve on Friday, Juventus youngster Adin Ličina is set to spend the 2026-27 season on loan in Serie B with Cremonese, a club who just a few months ago had gotten relegated from Italy’s top flight. The 19-year-old Ličina, who arrived
from Bayern Munich’s youth setup during the winter transfer window earlier this year, spent the second half of last season with the Juve primavera and then Next Gen squads.
After being part of the traveling squad during Juventus’ preseason tour, he got his first taste of senior level football under Luciano Spalletti. Rumors that Juve were thinking about promoting him to the senior squad popped up following the squad’s return to Italy from Australia, but clearly they have gone against that notion and sent Ličina on loan to a club where he will get plenty of playing time.
For much of the last few weeks, it looked like the most likely destination for a Ličina loan deal would be Avellino, but Cremonese made a late push to secure the German teenager for the new season. There were also reports over the last few days that Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna, a former member of the Juve front office, was very interested in signing Ličina on a permanent basis. Di Natale reported late Friday that rejected a late bid from Napoli to try and sign Ličina outright.
Rather than spending the full season in Serie C with the Next Gen squad, Ličina will now spend the 2026-27 campaign with a Cremonese squad that will be looking to get back to Serie A as quick as they possibly can. As I type this all out, that start to a potential return to top-flight football in Italy has not gone well, with Cremonese currently down 2-0 to Modena.
If all goes well for Ličina over the next eight or nine months, a strong showing in Serie B could very well put him in position to potentially become a regular part of the Juve squad next season. Things are crowded in attack right now, but he clearly has admirers in the front office if they’re already rejecting bids for him. (Plus, having a close ally in Kenan Yildiz, another former Bayern Munich youth product, certainly doesn’t hurt, either.)
