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The Juventus coach has set out the plan for the final month of the transfer window

Luciano Spalletti has now moved past Juventus’ second pre-season friendly. After the 0-0 draw with Basel came a narrow win over Standard Liege, decided by a goal from Miretti, and his attention has shifted back to the transfer market. Speaking after the match in Belgium, the Juventus manager dropped a few hints about the club’s next moves and, above all, the priority areas. Those include the handover between Openda, the next player expected to join Lyon, and Kolo Muani, with next week potentially decisive for a final breakthrough with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the search for a new goalkeeper.

Miretti’s goal was enough against Standard: who stood out and who did not

Spalletti’s words

On that issue, even though pessimism is growing over Aston Villa’s willingness to reduce their asking price for Emiliano Martinez, Spalletti made it clear what he expects from the Juventus board: “We already have two goalkeepers at the moment, we want to add competitiveness and we are looking for another one. We’ll see, there are many who will now go and find new slots. Dibu Martinez is one of them, who can probably change club, but we have to work carefully and prudently in the transfer market, we do not have huge scope to spend a lot of money.” In simple terms, the Argentina national team’s No 1 remains the clear first-choice option because, unlike alternatives such as Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario, Parma’s Zion Suzuki, Napoli’s Vanja Milinkovic-Savic or Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu, he would also bring much more personality and charisma into the dressing room.

The situation

Dibu Martinez is still tied to Aston Villa on a long-term contract that runs until 2029, earns a massive salary of €7 million a season and the English club want between €10 million and €15 million for him. That is too much for Juventus, who are prepared to commit to the Argentine’s wages on a three-year deal with lower figures, and hope to reach an agreement with Aston Villa for a fee of no more than €5-6 million. There is still plenty of time left in the transfer window. Martinez is currently on holiday after going all the way at the World Cup, and his parent club know he has been asking to leave for at least a year in search of a new challenge. The chance to play in Italy and wear the Italy shirt particularly appeals to him, but it will probably take a lot of patience and smart negotiation to get the deal done.

What changes for Di Gregorio and Perin

If Juventus bring in a new No 1 to protect the Old Lady’s goal, someone will have to move on. The sense is that behind Luciano Spalletti’s remarks from Liege there is also a request to sporting director Massara and chief executive Carnevali to find a solution for one of Di Gegorio and Perin. Neither player fully convinces the Tuscan coach: the former drew an enquiry from Besiktas in recent weeks, but that move has not gone any further, while the latter wants more playing time after several seasons as the backup, but for now no concrete option appears to be especially advanced.

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There is urgency

With July nearing its end and the league season set to start in around a month, Spalletti and Juventus are pushing to fill at least a couple of key positions so they can go into the opener against Frosinone with a few more certainties. The path looks a little clearer when it comes to the striker the manager wants, but the situation remains delicately balanced for the goalkeeper, as well as any possible new arrivals on the wing and in midfield. Dibu Martinez is still the name at the top of everyone’s list.