Jhon Lucumí has a weakness for the Old Lady — the kind that makes you put everything else on hold and keep the faith. According to Nicolò Schira in Tuttosport, the Colombian centre-back has instructed his agents to put all other offers on standby and give Juventus absolute priority. It is the most powerful card the bianconeri hold in a negotiation that has become one of the summer’s most deliberate and calculated wars of attrition.
The Numbers: A Gap That Bologna Must Blink On
With the release clause of €28 million having expired on 15 July, Bologna have reset their asking price to €25 million — still, in Juventus’s view, far too high for a player with just ten months remaining on his contract. The bianconeri‘s opening offer stands at €17 million — a figure Bologna have rejected as insufficient — and both parties are currently sitting on their positions, unwilling to move first.
The competitive backdrop makes Bologna’s task harder by the day. Nottingham Forest have already placed €20 million plus bonuses on the table but have failed to convince the player, who continues to give Juventus priority. Besiktas and Galatasaray from Turkey would, according to Schira, go to almost any financial length to land him — and Como, under Fàbregas, were willing to spend €20-22 million, though their first choice remains Chalobah of Chelsea.
Juventus’s Strategy: Sit Tight and Let Time Work
The Carnevali method is on full display here. With Como now shifting their attention back to Chelsea, Juventus are content to wait — sorniona, as Schira puts it, meaning calmly self-satisfied — knowing that every passing day reduces Bologna’s leverage and increases their own. A player of Lucumí’s quality leaving for nothing next summer is a scenario the Emilian club simply cannot contemplate. The longer the stand-off continues, the more inevitable a price reduction becomes.
Personal Terms Already Agreed
The most significant detail in Schira’s report is the one that changes the entire dynamic of this negotiation. Juventus have already received Lucumí’s broad personal approval for a five-year contract at €2.5 million per season. The player wants to come. The club wants him. The only outstanding dispute is between two sets of administrators arguing over a number that time is steadily eroding. As long as Lucumí keeps voting Juventus, the bianconeri can negotiate from a position of quiet, patient strength. The war of nerves continues — but the direction of travel could scarcely be clearer.
