Alexander Sorloth is back in the conversation at Juventus. Despite a World Cup with Norway in which the striker played a supporting role to Erling Haaland rather than the central figure he is at club level, Luciano Spalletti has never stopped believing in him — and the Turin-Madrid axis, so productive earlier in the summer, has reopened a conversation that could yet benefit both clubs simultaneously.
Why the World Cup Did Not Change Spalletti’s View
Sorloth’s underwhelming tournament — inevitable when your entire national side is structured around giving Haaland the ball — has done nothing to diminish his standing in Spalletti’s estimation. The manager called him personally before the World Cup began, explaining his tactical vision and asking whether the Norwegian would be open to a new challenge in Serie A, a fundamentally different environment from La Liga in terms of defensive intensity and tactical principles. Sorloth’s response was enthusiastic. That conversation, and the conviction it generated, has not faded.
The numbers speak for themselves even without the World Cup context. Sorloth has scored 26, 24, and 20 goals in his last three club seasons respectively — a consistency of output that places him among the most reliable centre-forwards in European football, and one that comfortably exceeds Kolo Muani’s equivalent three-season return. He is exactly the kind of area striker Spalletti describes when he speaks about giving the team a target to play off, a reference point, a player you can play the ball into.
The Nico González Connection: The Key That Unlocks Everything
The creative mechanism at the heart of this new discussion involves Nico González — and it is elegantly structured. González has never concealed his desire to work with Diego Simeone again, and Atletico Madrid remain genuinely keen to sign him permanently. The bianconeri, for their part, will not reduce their €30 million asking price for the Argentine unless they receive something meaningful in return.
The formula being explored is a linked operation: Atletico grant Juventus an onerous loan for Sorloth, and in return Juventus agree to a discounted permanent sale of Nico González. Two clubs, two players, two problems resolved in a single conversation. The financial arithmetic — a discount on González’s transfer fee offset against a loan fee for Sorloth — is the kind of joined-up thinking that characterises the Carnevali and Massara approach.
A Crowded Attack — and a Clear Positional Need
With Kolo Muani confirmed and Alajbegovic officially signed, Juventus’s attacking department has taken on a completely different character. But the arrival of those two players, alongside Yıldız, Conceição, and Boga, has simultaneously created a structural imbalance: the forward line now has technical quality and creative intelligence in abundance, but lacks the physical, penalty-box centre-forward presence that Spalletti has repeatedly and explicitly requested. Sorloth — an imposing target man who positions himself in the area, wins aerial duels, and finishes with his right foot — addresses that gap directly. He is the player Spalletti always wanted. The question is whether the structure of the deal with Atletico can be made to work.
