In the transfer market, as in football, Juventus and Inter are never truly separate stories. Their objectives overlap, their manoeuvrings interfere with each other, and the game of tactical disruption between Beppe Marotta and Giovanni Carnevali — two of Italian football’s most experienced operators — is already in full swing. Yesterday provided the most vivid illustration yet of how tightly their summer plans are interwoven.
The Meeting with Udinese — and the Solet Question
The Juventus working day began with a significant face-to-face meeting in Milan: Carnevali and Massara sitting across the table from Gino Pozzo and Udinese sporting director Nani. The primary subject of conversation was Oumar Solet, the Udinese centre-back on whom Inter had been working quietly for some time before gradually stepping back — put off by a combination of physical concerns regarding the player and an asking price that has consistently been set at a minimum of €30 million. Inter concluded that the risk-reward calculation did not add up. Juventus, however, have now asked the same questions and are considering the answer.
The conversation also touched on defender Rasmus Kristensen, winger Emmanuel Atta, and other potential opportunities within the Udinese squad — consistent with Massara’s declared first mission: sell surplus players, create space, build from a position of strength rather than desperation.
Muharemović: Progress, But No Conclusion Yet
The Muharemović situation continues to advance without yet reaching a conclusion. The gap between Juventus’s offer and Sassuolo’s expectations has not fully closed, but the bianconeri are pushing hard and believe the final obstacle can be overcome. Patience and persistence, as Carnevali has demonstrated throughout his career, tend to produce results.
Lucumí: Inter Enter the Race After Colombia’s World Cup Exit
The most operationally significant development of the day concerned Jhon Lucumí. With Colombia now eliminated from the World Cup, the Bologna centre-back is ready to focus on his club future — and it is at precisely this moment that Inter, having previously held back, have launched an offensive for his signature.
Lucumí holds a release clause of €28 million — Bologna’s non-negotiable price — and it is around that figure that the major clubs of Italian football are now circling. Whether this is genuine competition from Inter or a calculated piece of market disruption designed to complicate Juventus’s negotiations, the effect is the same: the clock is ticking, the competition is real, and Carnevali cannot afford to wait much longer.
Cambiaso and Frattesi: The Deals That Could Yet Bring the Two Rivals Together
Having competed fiercely over defenders, Juventus and Inter may yet find themselves doing business together on other fronts. Carnevali is waiting for a significant offer for Andrea Cambiaso — one of Spalletti’s favourites and yet simultaneously one of the first names on the list of potential departures to fund incoming transfers. From the Inter side, Marotta needs a buyer for Davide Frattesi, whose name has circled around Juventus all summer and who remains a genuinely appealing midfield option for the Continassa.
The two deals are not explicitly linked — but in the interconnected world of Italian football’s transfer market, the logic of a conversation is plain. Rivals in the standings, occasional partners in the market. As Tuttosport notes, raising the level of the squad is, for Juventus, the only thing that ultimately matters this summer — and if Carnevali must sit across a table from Marotta to achieve it, so be it.
