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In May, Juventus sacked Andrea Pirlo and announced the re-appointment of Massimiliano Allegri as the club's manager. Under Pirlo, the Bianconeri missed out on the Serie A title for the first time in a decade and finished a surprising fourth, narrowly qualifying for this season's UEFA Champions League.
With Allegri now back with the team, the 53-year-old will be looking to bolster his squad with more attacking options. Juventus will potentially look into replacements for Cristiano Ronaldo should the Portuguese international decide to leave.
However, the club's financial situation means they need to be wise with their signings and sign only players who they can afford in the long-run. That said, here is a look at five players who have been linked with moves to Juventus this summer.
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#5 Mauro Icardi
According to L'Equipe, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Juventus are considering a swap deal between Ronaldo and Mauro Icardi, with Allegri keen on linking up with the Argentine.
Icardi joined PSG from Inter Milan on a permanent transfer in 2020. At that time, the Ligue 1 club spent around €60 million and sealed a four-year contract with the forward. A year on, the 28-year-old is believed to be open to leaving PSG and is willing to take a pay cut to return to Italy.
However, Juventus face competition to sign Icardi. AS Roma are also keen pursuers of the forward and they would be able to offer PSG a loan deal with an obligation to buy that is worth €40 million.
Known for his finishing and ability to hold onto the ball, Icardi produced an average of two shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per game in Ligue 1 last season. During his last season in Serie A, the striker managed 2.5 shots, 1.2 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per game. It appears that Icardi could be better suited to play in Italy and a move to Juventus is highly possible.
#4 Gabriel Jesus
Manchester City and Juventus are in discussions over a potential transfer deal involving Gabriel Jesus.
Despite making 42 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens last season, Jesus is likely to leave the club in the coming weeks with a move to Serie A football not totally ruled out.
The 24-year-old has two years left on his contract and as such, Manchester City would certainly demand a significant fee from any club interested in signing Jesus. However, given the financial situation of most clubs, Juventus might struggle to afford the player and can likely only offer a loan deal with an option to buy.
Should Manchester City be successful in striking a deal with Harry Kane, Jesus could become more motivated to leave the club in search of more regular playing time.
#3 Miralem Pjanic
Barely a year after Miralem Pjanic joined Barcelona in a swap deal with Arthur Melo, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international may be returning to Juventus in no time.
Since his arrival at Camp Nou, Pjanic has failed to nail a spot in Barcelona's starting XI, starting just six out of 36 La Liga games. The 31-year-old will be offered the chance to leave Ronald Koeman's team, but for him to join Juventus, the midfielder will have to lower his salary demands.
Speaking about his situation at Barcelona, Pjanic said,
"I have played at all the clubs I've been at and with all the coaches I've had. A situation like this has never happened to me. Of course it's not easy, I accept it with great difficulty."
During his time at Turin, Pjanic was a key player in Allegri's team. With the latter now back in charge at Juventus, he might be keen to reunite with his manager.
#2 Antoine Griezmann
L'Equipe (via GFFN) claim Antoine Griezmann could join Juventus as part of a swap deal between Barcelona and the Serie A club, with Paulo Dybala potentially heading in the opposite direction.
Additionally, with Ronaldo's future at Turin up in the air, Griezmann is seen as a possible replacement for the four-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Although Griezmann only joined Barcelona in 2019, the 30-year-old French forward has struggled to impress at Camp Nou. In 99 appearances for Barca, the forward has scored 35 times and recorded 17 assists. Coupled with his massive wages, Barcelona are finding ways to offload him this summer, with Juventus being a viable destination.
Koeman has refused to confirm Griezmann will stay at Barca beyond this summer. The manager said:
"Griezmann is very important for me. He's been a great signing for Barcelona and has shown his quality. He's performed well and is a very good player. But I insist, I don't know which decisions will be made."
#1 Manuel Locatelli
Both Juventus and Arsenal are interested in signing Manuel Locatelli this summer, but the player's priority is reportedly to join the Bianconeri rather than the Gunners.
At the moment, Sassuolo are demanding €40 million for the Italian midfielder, which Arsenal are ready to match. On the other hand, Juventus offered €30 million loan offer with an obligation to buy next season, but their offer has been rejected by Sassuolo.
With Locatelli preferring to play in the UEFA Champions League and to stay in Serie A, joining Juventus would be the better option as compared to Arsenal. However, tight finances mean that Allegri might find it difficult to bring the Euro 2020 winner on board this summer.
Locatelli played a vital role for Italy at the Euros, scoring two goals in five appearances. He also starred in the final where the Azzuri beat England on penalties.
Since making his senior debut in 2016, Locatelli has racked up 144 Serie A appearances, netting eight goals and providing 11 assists in the process. If Locatelli joins Juventus, his ability to play either as a box-to-box midfielder or as a defensive midfielder will benefit the club.
