When the transfer window officially opens on 13 July, Giovanni Carnevali will face one of the most pressing challenges of his early tenure at the Allianz Stadium: a midfield log-jam worth more than €113 million in combined book value and future wage commitments. Three players — Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, and Arthur Melo — represent the most burdensome financial legacy of the Cristiano Giuntoli era, and clearing them will be essential before meaningful rebuilding can begin.
Koopmeiners: The Mother of All Mistakes
Koopmeiners remains the most expensive and most complex problem of the three. His book value on Juventus’s balance sheet stands at approximately €29 million, and he is contracted on gross wages of €5.7 million per year until June 2029. Tuttosport describes his signing, bluntly, as “the mother of all of Giuntoli’s wrong choices.”
The Dutchman has shown glimpses of what he can offer — Spalletti initially deployed him as a left-sided centre-back and got something from him — but sustained consistency has proved elusive. Galatasaray made an approach as far back as January, but Koopmeiners was distinctly unimpressed by the Turkish option. Spalletti is uncertain what to do with him: keeping him in the squad is financially draining; selling him at book value seems unlikely given his performances. The World Cup represents Juventus’s last, best hope that a strong individual showing reignites external interest in a player who cost them dearly.
Douglas Luiz: Not Even Emery Could Fix Him
If Koopmeiners is the most expensive problem, Douglas Luiz is arguably the most embarrassing. His sole season at the Continassa was deeply unhappy, and loan spells at both Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa — the latter managed by Unai Emery, described as a father figure in the Brazilian’s football education — failed to revive him. Spalletti will assess him with fresh eyes and no preconceptions, drawing his own conclusions rather than relying on the troubled recent past.
The financial weight he carries is severe: a book value of nearly €30 million combined with gross wages of just over €9 million per year until 2029. Juventus fear they may be forced to follow the same painful template applied to Arthur — a succession of loan deals, with contract modifications to spread the wage cost across multiple balance sheets. Another millstone placed around the club’s neck by the previous sporting director, and one that will not be easily removed.
Arthur: Back in Turin, Nowhere to Go
And then there is Arthur. The Brazilian’s return from a failed loan at Gremio — confirmed this week after the two clubs failed to agree a permanent deal — dumps yet another financial burden onto Carnevali’s desk. Gremio’s parting statement made the situation plain: despite both parties wanting the player to remain in Porto Alegre, no financial agreement could be reached. The previous administration, under Comolli, had been asking for close to €10 million for a player who had been systematically excluded from every serious project at the club for years.
With Arthur now back at Juventus and contracted until June 2027, the combined residual book value and wage commitment amounts to nearly €12 million still to absorb. He is open to all possibilities — a return to Brazil would be his preference, but Turkish football may provide a more realistic route. Vincenzo Italiano’s Beşiktaş have made tentative enquiries, and Carnevali will pursue any avenue that offers a clean resolution.
The Challenge Ahead
Together, these three players represent a financial blockage of staggering proportions for a club simultaneously trying to invest in new signings across multiple positions. Carnevali’s ability to find creative, intelligent solutions — the hallmark of his long career at Sassuolo — will be tested immediately and severely. The window opens in less than a month. The clock is already running.
