Juventus are already looking beyond the next transfer window, with the club studying opportunities among players who could be available without a fee in the summer of 2027. The work remains at an exploratory stage, but defence and midfield have emerged as the main areas under consideration as the club plans for the next phase of Luciano Spalletti’s project.
Free transfers have become a familiar route for Juventus across different administrations. Jonathan David has not delivered the expected impact, although the club could still record a capital gain should he be sold in the future. Zeki Celik, meanwhile, has quickly become an important option for Spalletti during the opening part of the season.
Tomori on the defensive shortlist
Fikayo Tomori is one of the names being followed most closely. Juventus chief football officer Giovanni Carnevali has long admired the England defender, while Massara also has an established connection with the player after taking him to Milan from Chelsea in January 2021 on an initial loan that included an option worth just under €30 million.
Tomori had been pushed to the margins of Ruben Amorim’s squad during the summer before being brought back into the group near the end of the window. He chose not to leave, preferring to keep his future open and assess possible options as a free agent from January onwards.
A possible Juventus move would become more relevant if Federico Gatti leaves. The defender has been seeking a greater role for some time, and a departure would place Tomori among the Bianconeri’s leading candidates to strengthen the centre of defence.
Raum and Kovacic monitored
On the left side, Juventus are also keeping David Raum in view. The RB Leipzig captain remains tied closely to his current club, and a contract renewal is still possible. If negotiations do not produce an agreement, Manchester United could represent Juventus’ most significant competition for the German international.
Midfield, however, may provide the most attractive opportunity. Juventus missed out on Franck Kessie during the previous summer window and are now watching Mateo Kovacic, whose Manchester City contract is due to expire on 30 June after four years at the club.
A new agreement at City currently appears difficult to envisage. The arrivals of Enzo Fernandez and Bouaddi have increased competition in Kovacic’s area of the pitch, while the Croatian will be 32 and could offer Juventus the mixture of experience, technical quality and winning background that Spalletti repeatedly requested during the last transfer campaign.
There is no negotiation underway for Tomori, Raum or Kovacic. Juventus are simply mapping a market that could develop over the coming months, with the next summer already beginning to shape the club’s longer-term decisions.
