Spalletti’s January midfield hunt: Locatelli’s successor in sight as Yildiz’s future hangs in the balance
20 November 2025
Transfer whispers ahead of January
Juventus are actively pursuing a midfielder in the January window to bolster the squad under Luciano Spalletti and to replace Manuel Locatelli, whose long-term role is under consideration.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the priority is to sign a midfielder who can fill Locatelli’s responsibilities, aiming to strengthen the spine of the team for the upcoming phase of the season.
Targets and contract chatter
At the top of Spalletti’s shortlist is Pierre-Emile Hoiberg, a midfielder associated with Marseille, who would bring leadership and technical texture to the Juve engine. Negotiating with the French club could prove difficult given Hoiberg’s current situation and the player’s fit under the coach’s system.
The Italian report adds that Hoiberg would be an ideal “technical leader and attraction” for Juventus, though agreement with Marseille remains a potential hurdle as talks continue.
Other names on the radar include Rodrigo Mendes of Elche, who has a €20 million release clause and has been tied to interest from Manchester City or Real Madrid, keeping doors open for a high-stakes January bid.
Kenan Yildiz and renewal talks
Within the broader transfer chatter, Juventus chief Giorgio Chiellini indicated that “everyone” wants to finalise a renewal for Kenan Yildiz, whose contract runs until June 2029. Preliminary talks have begun, but sources say negotiations are progressing slowly, with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Real Madrid watching from the wings as Yildiz remains tied to a long-term future in Turin.
Chiellini’s comments, relayed by Italian outlets, emphasise that the negotiations will unfold calmly, even as the club contends with a crowded calendar and a changing leadership structure.
Meanwhile, Tuttosport acknowledged Yildiz as a targeted piece for January talks, alongside Adryan Bernabe of Parma, among others, as Juventus weighs multiple contingency options in the midfield zone.
Juventus season and leadership changes
On the field, Juventus started the season strongly with a 2-0 win over Parma, then edged Genoa 1-0, before a dramatic 4-3 derby win over Inter. The run of form cooled with a series of draws — 1-1 at Verona, 1-1 at home to Atalanta, and a goalless stalemate with Milan — followed by losses to Como and Lazio.
The club ultimately parted ways with Igor Tudor and appointed Spalletti, with Damiano Komoli taking over as general manager and the French executive taking the role of CEO. Chiellini also moved into a broader strategic position as director of football development since July, marking a new era for the club’s leadership structure.
Chiellini reflected on the process: negotiations would proceed slowly but with a shared sense of purpose. He recalled a recent trip to America with the national team to review defensive organization—a sign that Juve’s internal collaboration was already shifting gears toward a more coordinated approach.
As the season contextualizes, Juventus’ campaign has seen a mix of promising results and wrenching changes. The team currently sits sixth in Serie A after 11 matches, with five wins, four draws, and two losses; 14 goals scored and 10 conceded, five points behind the pace-setters Inter and Roma. The post-Tudor rebuild aims to recapture that natural edge—winning as a habit, learning from defeats, and re-establishing Juventus as a title-contending force.
Punchline 1: If patience were a transfer target, Juve would sign it in January and pay for it in May—sweet deal for the calendar, sour for the calendar’s calendar.
Punchline 2: In football, the transfer window is basically a scavenger hunt—you find a candidate, the club signs a clause, and the club’s wallet signs a testimonial. Sniper-like precision, but with a little more paperwork.
