The race for Brahim Díaz is being pursued with every ounce of patience Luciano Spalletti possesses — but it is also, frankly, an extraordinarily difficult challenge. With Real Madrid’s José Mourinho yet to make a definitive decision on the Moroccan’s future, and the World Cup still running, Juventus cannot afford to leave the trequartista position entirely dependent on one outcome. Giovanni Carnevali and sporting director Marco Ottolini have an obligation to think in parallel — and the name that has risen most firmly to the top of their Plan B list is Nicolò Zaniolo.
The Udinese Stand-Off That Is Creating an Opportunity
Zaniolo’s situation at Udinese has been frozen in exactly the same position since mid-June. The Italian international and the Friulian club are at complete loggerheads over wages — and the distance between the two parties has not moved a single millimetre. Zaniolo is currently contracted on approximately €1.2 million per year — a deal agreed last summer in extremis when Udinese chose to bring him in on a loan with option to buy from Galatasaray. The unwritten expectation at the time of that deal was a significant wage increase should the season go well. It went very well indeed: 5 goals and 5 assists, some excellent performances against top-six opposition, and a renewed sense of technical leadership that had seemed permanently lost in the difficult years of injuries and failed loan spells.
Udinese exercised their purchase option — paying €5 million, with 50% of any future resale going to Galatasaray — but have not matched the wage increase Zaniolo considers his due. He wants something approaching €2 million per season. Udinese have not moved. The player arrived at the club’s pre-season training on Monday as instructed, without causing any drama — but has made clear internally that he expects a resolution this week. If the Pozzo family do not meet him, he will seriously consider his options.
Juventus Have Already Made Their Move
Carnevali has not waited for events to resolve themselves. Juventus have already made contact with Zaniolo’s agent, Claudio Vigorelli, to sound out his availability and establish the player’s openness to a move to Turin. The early indications were positive. Zaniolo, for his part, would give priority to a domestic solution over a move abroad — his time at Udinese has been genuinely happy, and if the wages are met he would happily stay. But under the current conditions, he will not.
The conversation between Juventus and Vigorelli is at an early stage. It is not a priority this week, when the club remains focused on the more pressing arrivals of Kolo Muani and Muharemović. The expectation, as Tuttosport reports, is that this situation is more likely to ignite in August — when the Díaz door may finally have opened or closed definitively, and when Udinese’s intransigence may have pushed Zaniolo decisively towards an exit.
Cabal and Adzic: The Creative Makeweights
The most intriguing detail in Monday’s report is the identity of the player or players Juventus could offer Udinese as part of any deal. Two names have been identified: Juan Cabal, the Colombian left-back who has struggled for consistent form and has no guaranteed future at the Continassa; and Vasilije Adzic, the Montenegrin attacking midfielder who is widely expected to leave on loan this summer regardless of destination.
Both would be attractive propositions for Udinese — a club who deal intelligently in this type of structured part-exchange arrangement and who would value the quality and potential of either player as a loan addition to their squad. The inclusion of one or both as makeweights could significantly reduce any cash element in the deal, making a transaction that benefits all parties considerably more straightforward to structure.
Milan Watch — but Como Have Moved On
Juventus are not the only club monitoring Zaniolo’s situation. AC Milan have been keeping a watching brief, though their interest has cooled slightly now that Como have moved decisively for Mattia Liberali — removing one of the potential alternative trequartista options from the market. If Milan engage more seriously, a bidding situation from an asking price of €15 million could develop.
Zaniolo’s own preference, if leaving Udinese, is to stay in Italy. He has no interest in another stint abroad. For Juventus and Carnevali, who have the contacts, the will, and now potentially the creative makeweights to make this deal work, the question is simply one of timing — and whether the Udinese impasse reaches the point of no return before Spalletti’s pre-season window closes.
