Midfield has been among the departments hit hardest by the sequence of injuries afflicting Juventus in the first part of the season. The long absences of Khephren Thuram first and Manuel Locatelli afterwards, both returning only in the first months of 2027, could force the club to intervene in the January market to help Luciano Spalletti.
The Current Midfield
Spalletti has relied heavily on the versatility of the indispensable McKennie, who has occupied several roles in the attempt to find a formula that gives the rest of the team balance. Alongside him he has often found Douglas Luiz, a player Juventus and their manager are trying to rediscover and relaunch after about €50 million invested in summer 2024 and the double loan to Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
Others have alternated with differing fortunes. Koopmeiners has been on the rise in recent weeks, a starter in the last three official matches and fresh from his goal in the Europa League at AZ Alkmaar. Pape Sarr, who arrived at the last moment in the summer window, has recently disappeared from the radar. He has had two consecutive benches against Napoli and Fiorentina in Serie A and has played 90 minutes only in the cup in the Netherlands.
A midfield three is the formula Spalletti has been moving towards with increasing conviction in recent weeks. In that context, January may be the occasion to add quality and physicality in that area.
The Name: Darryl Bakola
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the latest name on the radar is Darryl Bakola, a midfielder born in 2007 who plays for Sassuolo and has made a very positive start despite the Emilian side’s difficulties and a recent change of coach.
He was bought by Giovanni Carnevali himself, now Juventus’s CEO, so he would represent an interesting “bet” for the present and especially the future. He cost €12 million when taken from Marseille at only 18, and after 17 Serie A appearances his value has already grown significantly. According to Gazzetta, Sassuolo, who have also registered interest from Napoli and some Premier League clubs, are asking between €20 and €25 million. His contract runs to June 2030, and Sassuolo hope to keep him at least until next June to fight relegation with the young Frenchman.
A Sassuolo Axis
Juventus, thanks to excellent relations with Sassuolo and Carnevali’s good offices, would be willing to accommodate the other side’s wishes, even putting a player Sassuolo like into the deal. This would continue the axis that only a few months ago allowed the loan of Vasilije Adžić, who has already scored four goals in 10 appearances in Emilia, a figure up from the three in five games reported earlier this autumn.
Why Not January?
Barring changes of plan, the choice not to bring the operation forward to January may be linked to the latest updates on Khephren Thuram. He has been out since the start of the season because of the after-effects of the right patellar tendon problem suffered at the end of last season. The Frenchman is finishing his recovery and hopes to be available to Spalletti at the start of January. With the gradual reintegration of a player fundamental for his dynamism and physical strength, the wait for Locatelli can also be managed more calmly.
The Juventus captain suffered a rather serious injury and underwent surgery in September to suture the lateral meniscus of the knee. That requires rehabilitation, with a full return to competitive activity between February and March 2027.
What It Means
The report refines the timelines I had earlier: Thuram’s return is now framed as early January rather than “early 2027” in general. That changes the January calculation for midfield, since Højbjerg, the Marseille player linked to Koopmeiners’s sale, and Çalhanoğlu on a free transfer are other names in the frame. Bakola is the younger, more expensive, more long-term alternative.
