Football can change quickly, but not in the case of Juventus and Alexander Sørloth. The Norwegian striker was one of Luciano Spalletti’s chosen targets before Giovanni Carnevali arrived at the Continassa, and he still is, despite the summer signings of Randal Kolo Muani from PSG and Nick Woltemade from Newcastle. It is a matter of different characteristics from the Frenchman and the German, in-depth assessments and feeling. The Atlético Madrid forward came genuinely close to joining in recent months, first under former chief executive Damien Comolli and then under his Italian successor.
A Long-Standing Admiration
Gazzetta report that Spalletti’s regard for Sørloth was not a classic case of love at first sight. It dates back to the fateful meeting with Haaland’s Norway, when Spalletti was still Italy’s national team coach.
Juventus executives, scouts and the coach himself watched the Trondheim-born striker on several occasions before the summer. The technical reports were positive, as were the impressions of the 30-year-old. Between May and June, during sporting director Marco Ottolini’s famous blitz to Oslo, Sørloth also made a good impression on Spalletti in a brief phone conversation.
From Nico González to Jonathan David
Juventus were determined to go all the way with Atlético, using Nico González as the bargaining chip. He was coming off a rejuvenating 2025/26 loan at Diego Simeone’s club. The Argentine has since returned to Turin after the World Cup final and has also renewed his contract with Juventus.
Jonathan David made the same Turin-to-Madrid journey, with just as much benefit, leaving Atlético after a difficult settling-in period in Italy. The Canadian has three goals and two assists for the Spaniards and has just made his mark again for his country against Guatemala. He can now become the new “key” for Sørloth, who has overcome his physical problems from the start of the year but has not forgotten Juventus’s courtship.
Some discussion between the two clubs has already taken place, and Spalletti is crossing his fingers. A swap of the two number nines, valued at around €25–30m, would be an excellent solution for Carnevali as well. In one move he would please Spalletti with Sørloth and complete a significant sale in David, important for the accounts and for being able to operate in the market given the constraints of the settlement agreement signed with UEFA.
The Other Nines
The first signs on the Turin–Madrid axis are positive, but January is not as close as it seems, so Juventus executives are keeping their antennae up everywhere at this stage. The other names include:
- Folarin Balogun: the American at Monaco.
- Gianluca Scamacca: the Italy international at Atalanta, a favourite of Carnevali’s from his Sassuolo days.
- Mateo Retegui: he remains on the list, but the former Atalanta man doesn’t currently seem very keen to leave wealthy Saudi Arabia.
