Juventus had many needs in the summer transfer window, but perhaps the most pressing was along the front line.
With Dusan Vlahovic out of contract and Jonathan David and Loïs Openda on the outs after horrific debut seasons, there had been a serious question about who exactly would play up front, especially at the No. 9 position.
The rumors have been swirling for what seems like months, but we’re finally on the cusp of answering the question.
Juventus’ two big new attacking signings are mere steps away
from their respective “officially official” articles. Attacking midfielder Kerim Alajbegovic arrived at Caselle Airport on Saturday afternoon, and reportedly headed straight to J Medical for his medical. The Bosnian international was accompanied by his countryman and former Juve midfielder Miralem Pjanic.
Alajbegovic, who won’t turn 19 until September, has already been capped 14 times by Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring twice, including against Qatar in the group stage of the World Cup this summer. He played at RB Salzburg last year, scoring 13 times in 44 games in all competitions. That prompted Bayer Leverkusen to buy him back from the Austrian side, looking to make a quick profit on excellent professional debut. Leverkusen had made an agreement with Chelsea, but Alajbegovic rejected the deal over concerns about playing time. The deal is reportedly for €33 million plus another €7 million in bonuses, and Luciano Spalletti has already intimated that he’ll be the team’s trequartista in the coming season.
Following close behind him will be Randal Kolo Muani.
The saga of Kolo Muani and Juventus will finally come to a close after 18 months and three separate front offices. Reports from multiple vectors claim the striker will be arriving in Turin for his own medicals tomorrow. There was some new information—when hasn’t there been in this story?—shared by Fabirizio Romano, who reported that the move will no longer be a loan with an obligation to buy but instead a straight sale for €38 million, with another €12 million in potential bonuses.
Kolo Muani was in France’s team at the 2022 World Cup and was immediately snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain, where he ultimately became lost in the shuffle amongst the team’s multiplicity of highly priced players. He scored eight times in 16 games for Juve while on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 season. Juve tried to bring him back that summer even after Cristiano Giuntoli, who brought him in, was sacked. But former boss Damien Comolli couldn’t seal the deal—angering PSG with his negotiation tactics in the process—and he went off to Tottenham Hotspur instead. His stats there were *checks notes* not great, but Spurs were such a dumpster fire last season that can probably be written off.
Through it all Kolo Muani made it clear that he wanted to return to Turin, and it’s never a bad thing to buy a guy whose passion for the team seems genuine.
Kolo Muani will join Jeff Ekhator and, at time of writing, Arkadiusz Milik as the team’s strikers, likely putting to bed any talk of a return by Dusan Vlahovic. With Alajbegovic also in the fold, the attack is finally starting to take shape for Spalletti as the season opener draws near.
