We all figured that Juventus’ Deadline Day business will be centered around a certain French striker currently in a holding pattern in Paris, but it looks as though Damien Comolli will be officially signing off on a couple of other deals on top of everything else going on with the European champions.
It just so happens to involve a couple of attacking players, too.
As Juventus were beating Genoa on Sunday night, Comolli was also busy closing a pair of deals that have been talked about potentially going
down for the last couple of weeks. The first involves Juventus and Atlético Madrid agree to a deal for Nico González that will see the Argentine winger head to the Spanish capital on loan with an option to buy which will become an obligation based on how many appearances he makes this season. The total price of the deal will be as much as €33 million, with it seeming rather likely that the obligation will kick into effect before the 2025-26 campaign is over.
With González leaving, Juventus have agreed to a deal for Lille playmaker Edon Zhegrova, who has been heavily linked with a move to Marseille over the last couple of weeks. Juve will reportedly pay around €20 million to bring Zhegrova — who is in the final year of his contract with Lille — to Turin and reunite him with former teammate Jonathan David. Zhegrova, who has Albanian heritage in his family and represents Kosovo at the international level, recently acquired an Albanian citizenship, meaning Juventus won’t be using one of their non-EU spots for an incoming transfer this season.
Both players will be arriving Monday in Spain and Italy, respectively, for their medicals ahead of signing with their new clubs prior to the summer transfer window deadline passing.
One winger out. One winger in. And now Tudor gets a player that he’s probably familiar with trying to stop during his time as manager with Marseille a couple of years ago.
Zhegrova, one of the stars of Lille’s Champions League matchup with Juventus last season, has been pushing for a move away from the French club this summer considering he had made it clear to management he did not want to extend his contract. As much as Marseille was looked as the main option to where he would go, once Juventus entered the picture then things seriously swung in the Bianconeri’s favor.
Zhegrova reportedly agreed to personal terms with Juventus without much issue, with the two clubs finally coming to an agreement on a transfer package on Sunday night.
González — who was surprisingly used as a late sub in Juventus’ win over Genoa on Sunday — has been rumored to be potentially leaving Turin all throughout the summer despite the fact the club completed its obligation to buy him from Fiorentina at the beginning of July. In one season with Juve, González had been one of the more disappointing players signed by Cristiano Giuntoli last summer, dealing with a host of inconsistencies and a few injuries along the way, adding to the fact that Juve could end up paying upward of €40 million for him when it’s all said and done.
Clearly, Tudor feels that somebody like Zhegrova fits better in this team than González does despite the fact that the latter has been fielded as a wingback on the right wing a handful of times since he took over as manager in March. Where Zhegrova fits into the attacking mix still remains to be seen, but this feels like a win for Juventus considering what Juve might be getting from Atlético Madrid and how productive Zhegrova was when everything was going right for him at Lille two seasons ago.
