Giovanni Carnevali will watch Sunday’s match at the Mapei Stadium from an unusual vantage point: as the chief executive of the visiting club assessing a player he signed himself for Sassuolo just eight months ago. Darryl Bakola — the 18-year-old French midfielder brought to Emilia from Olympique Marseille for €10 million in January 2026, in what Carnevali publicly described as “an important investment” — has become a genuine Juventus target. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri intend to observe him closely on Sunday and are already planning a formal approach in January.
The Carnevali Connection — His Own Last Great Sassuolo Signing
The personal dimension of this pursuit is its most unusual feature. Bakola was, by Carnevali’s own account, one of the signings of which he was most proud during his final months at Sassuolo: a 2007-born offensive central midfielder, already an occasional starter in Ligue 1 for Marseille at 17 and even used in Champions League football — where he provided an assist — before Carnevali moved quickly to bring him to Serie A ahead of several rival European clubs. “We have made an important signing with Bakola,” Carnevali told Tuttosport at the time. “We are talking about a 2007-born player with enormous potential who is considered one of the most talented young players in French football.” He knows the player better than virtually any other director in Italian football. He wants him at his new club.
Sassuolo Have Blocked Every Approach — but January Is Different
The summer window produced a clear and firm rejection from Sassuolo. When Juventus made their first sounding — reportedly in the final days of August, confirmed by Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri — the Emilian club declined without entering any meaningful discussion. Bakola was not on the market. The club had no intention of selling a player they considered one of their most important developmental assets.
The January window, however, changes the dynamics. With Sassuolo’s season already under way and Bakola accumulating senior minutes, the club’s position on any departure will be re-evaluated in the context of the situation at the time — the squad’s health, their competitive standing, and whether a significant fee would serve the club’s financial planning. Juventus intend to ask again. And with Carnevali’s personal knowledge of the player, his entourage, and the club’s decision-making hierarchy, they believe they have the best possible chance of success.
The Player — a Starting Debut at the Allianz Stadium Last March
The detail that Gazzetta characterises as a possible sign of destiny: Bakola’s first Serie A start as a senior player came at the Allianz Stadium — Juventus’s own ground — in Sassuolo’s away fixture in March 2026. He played the full match and impressed. Now, eight months later, he returns to the same city as a player whose future Carnevali is actively planning.
A physical problem has cast his availability for Sunday in some doubt — the Juventus directors will be monitoring the pre-match teamsheet with considerable personal interest. But the intention is clear regardless: watch him, assess him one more time from the inside of the competition rather than from the outside, and return in January with a formal and meaningful offer. Carnevali’s last great Sassuolo signing may yet become his first great Juventus one.
