Juventus star Kenan Yildiz is one of the only reasons for hope for the future in Turin, as the Bianconeri have fallen out of the Serie A title race and are faced with another stopgap manager after giving up on Thiago Motta before one full year.
Despite the optimism around Yildiz, Juve have had trouble getting the Turkish international consistently involved in year two, as he’s been out of his preferred position as a No. 10 in a playmaker role.
Without a true left winger – Federico Chiesa was loaned to Liverpool last summer – Yildiz has made frequent starts on the left wing, and that’s clearly not the best spot for him.
So top clubs around Europe are circling like vultures, looking to take advantage of the potential that Juventus make yet another transfer blunder with a promising young star.
According to a report from Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, superagent Jorge Mendes has informed Juventus that Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all interested in Yildiz.
Manchester United and Chelsea already have world-class No. 10’s in Bruno Fernandes and Cole Palmer, and they are also covered with secondary options at the position, too.
But imagine the insult if Liverpool were to acquire Chiesa and Yildiz long-term and have them shine in key roles with the club. Yildiz could be a perfect fit as a starting 10 at Anfield, replacing the underwhelming Dominik Szoboszlai.
It’s highly unlikely Juventus sell Yildiz, especially at a time of turmoil and with so few future building blocks in the starting lineup, but you never know when the other shoe drops on the world football transfer market when an agent like Mendes with his all-encompassing power is involved.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.