Juventus are reportedly keeping a close eye on Leonardo Balerdi, but the Italian giants may face fresh competition from Saudi Arabia. Calciomercato report that he Argentine defender, currently a key figure at Marseille under Roberto De Zerbi, has now attracted strong interest from Al-Qadisiya.
The Saudi club, coached by Spaniard Michel, continue to make ambitious moves in the transfer market. Last summer, they signed Italo-Argentine striker Mateo Retegui from Atalanta for €68.25 million after he finished the Serie A season as top scorer with 25 goals.
Balerdi, 26, joined Marseille in the summer of 2020 from Borussia Dortmund for €12 million and remains under contract until June 2028. Since arriving in Ligue 1, he has made 178 appearances for the French club, who fell 1-0 to Lille on Friday night after a goal from Ethan Mbappé — the younger brother of Kylian. The result leaves De Zerbi’s side level on 29 points with Lille, just one behind Paris Saint-Germain and two behind league leaders Lens.
Born in 1999 and a product of Boca Juniors, Balerdi also holds an Italian passport and has earned 11 caps for Argentina’s senior national team. With Juventus continuing to assess defensive reinforcements, and Al-Qadisiya now emerging with serious financial power, the competition for his signature appears to be intensifying.
