Juventus want to sign Bologna center back Jhon Lucumí, the Colombian center back who is coming off a strong showing at the World Cup in North America. That interest is well-establish, but we know there is some competition both from Serie A and aboard — making things a little more complicated because, you know, money reasons.
Lucumí recently had a buyout clause expire in his contract, meaning interested parties are now potentially trying to get him for less than what the reported €28 million price
would have cost before the mid-July deadline passed.
Either way, it sounds like Bologna’s CEO is preparing for life without Lucumí.
I say that because that same man, Claudio Fenucci, was interviewed by Sky Sport Italia on Tuesday and addressed the future of Lucumí, who is now entering the final year of his current contract at Bologna. Here is what Feuncci had to say about the 28-year-old Colombian:
“Lucumi could leave because this is what we promised to him last year. We asked him to remain for one more year, promising that if a suitable offer came in the next summer, he could leave.”
[…]
“We’ll see if a suitable offer arrives, in which case we’ll give him what he wants, otherwise he will remain with us.”
(Source: Football Italia)
Things have been relatively quiet on the Lucumí front for a couple of weeks now. But like so many other players who were on international duty this summer, you have to believe that business is about to pick up now that the World Cup is over and done with. And with Lucumí still not yet back from his post-World Cup break and ready to report to Bologna’s preseason training, it’s hard to say where things stand.
But we know that Juventus’ summer mercato is bound to pick up with no more teams holding out that their assets could raise their price tag a few more million with positive showings at the World Cup. Lucumí is in a position in which he only has one more year left in his contract and just turned 28 years old a few weeks ago, so it’s not like Bologna can realistically ask for the moon for a player with that profile.
When it comes to central defenders, he is one of the main names who have been linked to Juve this summer. Just how a potential deal comes about is still a bit unknown — does somebody like Fabio Miretti get used as a player to offset some of the price, or do Juve have enough money available from the sell-on clause attached to Tarik Muharemović’s €40 million deal to Leeds United to make something happen?
With the start of the Serie A season now just a little over a month out, the clock is ticking to get something done. And you just hope that Juventus hasn’t let opportunity pass them by for a player who feels somewhat likely to be leaving his current employer this summer.
