The long saga is over. Jhon Lucumí is heading to Juventus. After a summer of patient negotiation, a series of rejected overtures from clubs across Europe, and a war of attrition that the bianconeri have won decisively, multiple authoritative sources confirmed on Wednesday evening that a basic agreement has been reached between Juventus and Bologna.
The Numbers — and Why Bologna Had No Choice
The cost of the operation is €17-18 million as a fixed fee, with add-ons bringing the total to approximately €20 million. It is a figure considerably below the €25 million Bologna had been targeting after the €28 million release clause expired on 16 July — and considerably below what the player could potentially have commanded in an open market. The reason Bologna were ultimately compelled to accept such terms is captured in a single line from Sportitalia: Lucumí turned down five other proposals to ensure Juventus was his future. He had them over a barrel.
When a player with ten months remaining on his contract has already agreed personal terms with his preferred club and rejected every alternative — the Premier League, La Liga, and the Turkish Super Lig — the selling club’s leverage evaporates entirely. Bologna held firm for as long as the market mathematics allowed. In the end, the mathematics won.
Medical in the Next 24-48 Hours
With the final details now being resolved, the Colombia international is expected to complete his medical examinations within the next 24 to 48 hours. A player who has been waiting for this moment since the very first days of the summer — who sat through the World Cup, the Asian tour, and weeks of public speculation — is finally within touching distance of the move he set his heart on.
What This Means for the New Juventus
For Luciano Spalletti, the arrival of Lucumí alongside the imminent loan of Suzuki from PSG represents a genuinely significant few days — solving the two most pressing positional needs simultaneously. The left-footed, ball-playing centre-back he has been requesting since his first meeting with Carnevali in Forte dei Marmi in June is coming. The goalkeeper he described as appealing to him “enormously” is on his way from Paris. The rebuild that began with a boardroom revolution in June is beginning to look, in these final days of August, very much like the real thing.
