Another transfer chase that has lasted much of the summer looks like it’s about to hit its conclusion.
OK, so nowhere nearly as close to the drama when it came to Juventus’ long-awaited signing of Randal Kolo Muani, but the Bianconeri will soon have their much-desired South American center back to pair with their other South American center back.
According to multiple reports coming out of Italy on Wednesday evening, Juventus and Bologna are close to finalizing a deal for Colombian center back Jhon
Lucumí that is worth a total of around €20 million. As noted by Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, that €20 million is something that includes potential bonuses — which is quite a nice little development considering for so long we’ve been hearing that Bologna want upward of €25 million if Juventus were to sign Lucumí. But, when you factor in that the player is now in the final year of his contract and that he had rejected pretty much every other approach made by clubs around Europe, Juve might have actually had a little bit of leverage on their side. (Maybe? Who knows!)
Lucumí is expected to sign a five-year contract worth around €2.5 million a year, according to Nico Schira.
There are also rumors that Juventus could send another Colombian, fullback Juan Cabal, to Bologna on loan (and maybe with an option to buy) as part of the deal although not technically part of the deal. Those talks don’t seem to be as advanced as the overall Lucumí negotiations are, which are expected to be done by the end of the week.
Lucumí has been one of Juventus’ main targets all summer — and especially so once the option in attack were finalized right on the cusp of the preseason tour to Hong Kong and Australia. As Lucumí continued to reportedly reject offers from elsewhere — including the Premier League — the biggest thing was if Juve and Bologna would be able to come to an agreement on a price.
And it looks like that’s happen a week before the 2026-27 season begins.
Now Juventus can think of a defense that will have Lucumí playing alongside Gleison Bremer — who is coming off an up-and-down 2025-26 season after his return from ACL surgery in October of 2024. With his arrival coming all of a week before the new campaign kicks off, who knows if he will be in the starting lineup come Aug. 23 against Frosinone, but it’s pretty easy to see that he is being viewed as a regular player to feature for Luciano Spalletti. You don’t take the better part of two months trying to secure his signature if he isn’t.
