The season begins on Sunday at Frosinone. The transfer window closes in fourteen days. And Luciano Spalletti, speaking at the Ferragosto celebration at the Allianz Stadium on Monday evening, was entirely clear: “Something still needs to be done.” Not a complaint. Not an ultimatum. Simply the honest assessment of a manager who knows his squad is not yet complete — and who trusts his directors to complete it.
The Problem Is Not Numbers — It Is Quality and Balance
Juventus’s squad, as it stands, is extralarge. The starting eleven is not in question; it is the surplus assets around it that complicate every decision. When Spalletti talks about wanting “two players per position,” he means after the deadwood has been cleared — and there remains a significant amount of deadwood. Arthur’s contract termination is close. David must go. Cabal, Miretti, Gatti, and Di Gregorio remain in the departure lounge in various states of resolution. Anything incoming is contingent on those outgoings.
The Physical Striker: Zirkzee First, Then the Others
The most explicitly missing profile in the squad is what Tuttosport calls “a Vlahović” — a penalty-box striker capable of winning aerial duels, holding the ball up under physical pressure, and unlocking defences when the game refuses to flow. Kolo Muani is brilliant in transition and in movement, but he is not primarily a target man in the traditional sense.
Zirkzee remains the most active and concrete pursuit in this area — a Massara obsession that stretches back to his Roma days and one that makes increasing sense as the Dutch forward’s profile at Manchester United deteriorates. He would arrive on loan, and his availability is directly conditional on Jonathan David’s departure. Should the Canadian finally secure his exit — Paris FC and other Ligue 1 clubs continue to circle — Zirkzee could arrive in the window’s final days.
Beyond Zirkzee, two further names remain in the peripheral vision: Alexander Sorloth of Atletico Madrid, whose personal terms with Juventus were agreed back in June and whose physicality suits exactly the profile being sought; and Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace, whose knee history introduces an element of medical risk but whose goal-scoring instinct and physical presence make him compelling at the right price.
Kessié: The Free Agent Who Must Wait for Space to Open
Franck Kessié remains available, willing, and waiting. A three-year contract at €4.5 million per season has been agreed in principle. The problem is midfield congestion: Koopmeiners, Arthur, and Miretti all occupy list space and wage commitments that make it structurally impossible to add another midfielder without first removing one. The Arthur termination, when it comes through, creates the first meaningful opening. Koopmeiners’ loan to Roma — reported as close over the weekend — would create the second. With both in place, Kessié’s formal signing could be completed before or just after the official registration deadline.
Left-Back: Raum Sounded Out, Costs Too High
The final positional gap is also the quietest. Juventus have made a sounding for David Raum of RB Leipzig — the German international left-back whose profile precisely matches what Spalletti has described when discussing what he wants from the position. The costs, however, have so far proved prohibitive. Should Cabal’s exit generate funds, and should a loan structure with Leipzig prove possible, Raum becomes a live option. Without that financial chain being resolved, the left-back position may have to wait until the very final days of the window — or indeed beyond it.
Fourteen days. Three clear objectives. A squad that must be thinned before it can be strengthened. The familiar formula of this extraordinary Juventus summer applies, in its final chapter, one more time.
