Juventus have never lost sight of Jhon Lucumi throughout the summer nor opened talks for alternative options to bolster their defense. They are finally on the homestretch of the negotiation with Bologna, Alfredo Pedullà reports.
The two clubs seemed close to a deal at the end of June, for balance sheet-related purposes. The operation didn’t come together at the time. There were sparse contacts since then, up until the last few days.
Lucumi waited for Juventus with great determination, repelling Turkish and Saudi teams and not seriously entertaining offers from other Italian outfits. The Bianconeri and the Felsinei are ironing out the details of the package, which will amount to €17/18M plus bonuses up to roughly €20M. Juan Cabal could move to Emilia, but it’s not a significant sticking point in the talks.
The center-back will sign a long-term contract and earn about €2.5M per year. His early €28M clause also delayed the whole thing, as the Old Lady didn’t want to activate it. They eventually got to the price they were looking for, as the defender’s current deal runs out in 2027, with no chance of a renewal. He has spent 4 seasons in Italy, racking up 152 appearances. He burst onto the scene at Deportivo Cali and was brought to Europe by Genk and has starred 42 times with Colombia.
Our Take on Juventus and Lucumi
It’s a bit questionable that they keyed in on him so vigorously, as he’s not necessarily a major upgrade over Lloyd Kelly, aside maybe from a leadership standpoint, nor a bright prospect. They eventually obtained a reasonable valuation, and recently leaking that he could have joined for free in a year, which was a no-go for the Rossoblù, was very strategic.