With Juventus’ attempt to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez looking rather dead in the water with every passing day, the need to pivot becomes all the more obvious. That means shifting to a new option in goal that may not be at the level or profile of Martinez in terms of accomplishments or experience, but also one that could potentially be more of a longer term answer rather than only a couple of seasons.
The main name right now? That of Parma’s Zion Suzuki, whose stock is quite high following
a quality showing with Japan at the World Cup earlier this summer.
We know that Juventus are interested and have reportedly held multiple rounds of talks with Parma. But you know who would also be keen to see something happen that involves buying some property in Turin? Suzuki himself.
That is what SportItalia’s Alfredo Pedulla reported on Thursday, saying that Suzuki’s preference would be to sign with Juventus this summer. This comes at the same time that we’ve heard about interest from two-time defending European champions Paris Saint-Germain, who already look ready to move on from last season’s big goalkeeper purchase in the form of Lucas Chevalier. But the thing that Juventus can likely offer the 23-year-old Suzuki that may not be so certain at PSG is the chance to start right away, with the starter of the last two seasons, Michele Di Gregorio, very much looking like somebody who could be the one on the way out if the New Jersey-born Japanese international arrives.
The price tag for Suzuki is not a cheap one by any means, with Parma reportedly wanting at least €30 million — and maybe even closer to €40 million — if they are to sell him this summer.
But let us repeat what Pedulla said: Suzuki’s preference is to sign with Juventus. That doesn’t mean he’s not also OK with signing with Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but Juve is his top choice as things stand right now.
What that means for Juventus’ ability to sign him still remains to be seen. After spending a good amount of money on Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegović, it’s hard to say how much Juve are going to be willing — or, maybe more importantly, being capable of — to spend on other players this summer without seeing players sold to fund things.
We know all too well how Juve haven’t been willing to meet Aston Villa’s demands for Martinez, so who knows if the same can be said about Suzuki. But, at least right now, you can say the player wants Juventus just like Juventus wants the player. But if it will actually happen is still very much a question mark.
(Or maybe it just ends up being like three of the four signings Giovanni Carnevali and Frederic Massara have made so far this summer and it’s a goalkeeper that just comes out of nowhere. We shall see, folks.)
