With Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Juventus in the coming days, the question of who will be his replacement at the Allianz Stadium is now on everyone’s lips.
The 36-year-old Portuguese forward is close to signing for Manchester City in the English Premier League, ending a three-year stay with the Bianconeri.
Ronaldo has bagged 28, 37 and 36 goals in each season respectively with Juventus, scoring a total of 101 goals in 134 games. So Juventus will need to find someone who can get as close to those numbers as possible as they seek to regain their Serie A title, and make an impression in the Champions League.
Return from Everton
Moise Kean is reportedly the preferred candidate to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, with the Everton striker returning to the Bianconeri after the Toffees had signed him in 2019 from Juve.
The acquisition of Kean is ideal for Juventus for a number of reasons. After coming through the youth system and having played for the senior squad, he is already familiar with the club environment and he would free up a space on the squad list due to being an academy graduate.
The 21-year-old also played under La Vecchia Signora tactician Massimiliano Allegri when he was at the club previously so he is already familiar with his methods.
His agent Mino Raiola was at the Juve headquarters at Continassa on Thursday, and the rapport between him and the club is excellent, which should result in a smooth negotiation process.
Kean scored eight goals in 21 competitive matches for Juventus from 2016 until 2019 and he had a loan spell at Hellas Verona in 2017/18.
Inter connection
Another player linked with a move to Juventus as a replacement for Ronaldo is Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi.
The ex-Inter man is no stranger to controversy and with PSG signing Lionel Messi, his chances of regular playing time have been further dented given he only started 11 Ligue 1 matches in the entirety of the 2020/21 season.
Juventus have been long time admirers of Icardi, and even contemplated making a move for him when his career at Inter was finished. Plus, his agent and wife Wanda Nara is known to want Icardi to resume his career in Serie A.
Icardi does have a contract with PSG until 2024, and earns €10m a season – a significant drop from Ronaldo’s €30m – though it would certainly need a sizeable transfer fee to prise the Argentine from Paris as PSG paid Inter €70m back in 2019.
Other links
Many other names have been linked to Juventus as a replacement for Ronaldo.
Gabriel Jesus, currently of Manchester City, has been mooted as a player who could be involved in the deal involving the Portuguese star, though Pep Guardiola is reluctant to let him leave the Etihad Stadium.
Across Manchester, Anthony Martial has also been mentioned with Manchester United apparently open to selling the Frenchman if the right offer is received.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic could also be on the move before the transfer window closes given he has underwhelmed in the Spanish capital since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019.
