Juventus and Atletico Madrid are talking again — and the conversations, according to Calciomercato’s Cristian Giudici, now encompass multiple players and multiple possible formulas, adding fresh complexity to what is already one of the window’s most intricate bilateral relationships.
Atletico Ask About Jonathan David — but No Offer Has Arrived
The most significant new development is Atletico Madrid’s enquiry regarding Jonathan David. The Spanish club are searching for a striker to reinforce their attack — they have also been pursuing Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, the Senegalese international returning from his Bayern Munich loan — and David’s profile has attracted their interest. The Canadian striker has been indicated as broadly open to listening to an approach from the Colchoneros, which would represent a meaningful upgrade from the Ligue 1 and Hull City interest that has been circulating without result all summer. The critical caveat is that no formal offer has yet been submitted.
The Three-Way Exchange Taking Shape — David, Sorloth, and Nico González
The truly intriguing dimension of the Juventus-Atletico relationship is that three separate players are potentially moving in different directions simultaneously — creating what could become one of the window’s most creatively structured pieces of business.
Simeone retains his well-documented desire to bring Nico González back to Madrid permanently — the Argentine winger’s loan spell having clearly convinced the manager of his value. Juventus, equally clearly, want rid of a player with no place in Spalletti’s plans. And Juventus’s own incoming priority from the Atletico roster is Alexander Sorloth — a striker whose personal terms with the bianconeri have been agreed since June, and who is now approaching fitness after a muscular injury that kept him out of Atletico’s opening two Liga fixtures.
The formula of a linked exchange — Nico González to Atletico, Sorloth to Juventus, with David potentially also moving to Madrid in a separate or combined operation — would simultaneously resolve three different transfer headaches across two clubs. The mechanics are complex but the logic is compelling.
Spalletti Wants Sorloth, Massara Prefers Zirkzee, and Mateta Provides a Third Option
The article also reveals a nuanced internal difference in preference at the Continassa. Spalletti’s explicit first choice as the physical centre-forward he needs alongside Kolo Muani is Sorloth — a striker he knows well and who fits his system’s demand for a powerful, direct target man. Massara, however, continues to favour Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United — the technically sophisticated attacker the CFO has coveted since his days at Roma. Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace rounds out a three-name shortlist that represents very different profiles but all address the same fundamental need. With six days remaining in the window, the answer to Spalletti’s striker question is coming — and the Atletico Madrid connection, productive throughout this summer, may yet be the mechanism that delivers it.
