Arkadiusz Milik’s Juventus career is edging towards its inevitable conclusion — and an unexpected door has opened in the UAE Pro League, with a deadline of 28 September for a resolution that both player and club are hoping to find.
The Approach from the Emirates — and Carnevali’s Willingness to Listen
According to Tuttosport’s Nicolò Schira, a couple of UAE Pro League clubs searching for attacking reinforcements identified Milik as an accessible opportunity in the course of this week — with an intermediary making contact both at the Continassa and with the Polish striker’s agents. The interest is genuine and timely: the UAE transfer window closes on 28 September, making this a narrow but real window of opportunity.
Carnevali’s position is entirely clear. Juventus would give the green light to Milik’s departure — and would do so at virtually any price. A free transfer or a nominal indemnity not exceeding €1 million would be acceptable. The reason is straightforward: excluded from both the Serie A list and the UEFA Europa League list, Milik cannot feature in a single official match for the club. He is earning €1.8 million net per year whilst being entirely unavailable to the team on any competitive occasion. He is, in the bluntest financial terms, an unproductive cost.
The Timeline — January Is the Most Realistic Departure Point
Despite the current UAE interest, the most realistic conclusion to the Milik saga remains a January departure — either through a consensual contract termination or a transfer to a club in a market that remains open in winter. The conversations about an early termination earlier in the summer did not produce a concrete result, and the gap between what Milik’s camp considers appropriate compensation and what Juventus are willing to offer has not yet been bridged.
Should the UAE interest develop into something concrete in the next few days, an earlier resolution becomes possible. For a player who turned 32 in February and whose injury history has limited him so severely, a two-year contract in a less physically demanding league — at a salary comparable to his current €1.8 million — is a genuinely attractive proposition. Whether Milik and his entourage view the UAE as a destination of choice, however, remains the critical unknown. The knocking at the door has begun. Whether it leads inside is a question the next fortnight will answer.
