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Reports: Weston McKennie nearing Juventus move

After weeks of being linked to multiple English Premier League clubs, Weston McKennie is now reportedly nearing a move to Italian champions Juventus.

According to Sky Sports, the U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder will initially join Juventus on loan with the Italian club paying Schalke $3.5 million.

According to multiple reports, Juventus will have an option to purchase McKennie at the end of the season for $21.2 million. The 21-year-old was heavily linked with English side Southampton in recent weeks, but a move to the Premier League has yet to materialize.

McKennie emerged as a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for Schalke, which finished in 12th in the Bundesliga. The midfielder made 32 appearances in all competitions for David Wagner’s men last year, netting three goals.

Juventus has taken to the transfer window with the aim of rejuvenating their ageing roster after taking the decision to replace Maurizio Sarri with Andrea Pirlo. Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira have already been informed they are surplus to requirements, indicating Juventus is looking to trim its wage bill.

The Italian champions have experienced midfield woes over the last few seasons and have already added Arthur from Barcelona to address this. McKennie will have the opportunity to carve out an important role for himself in Pirlo’s new-look Juventus, as the Turin-based giants currently lack a box-to-box midfielder with his qualities.

The new Serie A season kicks off on September 19.

Comments

  1. Wow.
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    Seems like a risky idea. I hate to see him throw away the advantage of being able to speak German, when there are other Bundesliga clubs with more upside than Schalke. I thought Hertha had been looking promising; does anyone know what happened there, or if perhaps they’re still in the running and this could be just part of a negotiating tactic?
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    There are glaring things about Serie A that would really put me off, like the rampant racism and corruption. (And about Italy, like the rampant sexism and populism and corruption.) It’s not at all clear whether Pirlo can even coach, and no, I don’t picture Ronaldo necessarily going out of his way to be helpful to a callow young American. Though his work ethic and training regimen alone might be a memorable example.
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    But having a young American in the squad could be a reason for US TV viewers to occasionally watch Serie A in the first place, which probably carries some weight. Cynical, perhaps, not unlike Chelsea signing Pulisic, but there it is.
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    And if McKennie was really motivated to learn another language (he seems sharp enough), and learn the art of defending in a hard school, Italy might be the place. It wouldn’t be only Pirlo, but also Bonucci and Chiellini and the rest of them. Question for the experts: does catenaccio still have any relevance to the modern game?
    .

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    • P.S.
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      Juan Cuadrado is also a player I like, similarly willing to run a lot. Could he and McKennie ever team up to get the ball forward? That would be yet another new language to learn …
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  2. Juve is not great with young players (see Coman and Henry). Then again, It would be pretty cool to have a yank playing for the Old Lady, and you don’t get much more tactically focused than Serie A.

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  3. This smells as if Juve is leasing/testing both player & coach.
    The loan gives them the chance to Test McKennie out (just like any loan), but it’s also a way to pick up a player who fits the need of a new coach (Pirlo) who may only be in place on an interim basis while the club searches for a long term solution. If Pirlo doesn’t pan out and McKennie doesn’t fit the desire of whoever they hire; then Juve hasn’t sunk a ton of money on a player that would potentially be surplus.

    Is this the right move for Weston…only time will tell. Working under Pirlo could help polish his game and make him a more effective and rounded CM. At the very least it will let him settle into a set position instead of being bounced all over the field because your team has so many holes.
    At the worst Pirlo turns out to be a crap coach and doesn’t help refine his game….and/or he can’t adapt to the Italian style of play and gets benched for a year.
    @ 21 the risks are worth the reward.

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    • I’ve read that this isn’t really a loan with option to buy, but rather a loan with confirmation to buy; but has been structured this way, to spread the purchase over two fiscal years to meet Financial Fair Play rules.

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      • KenC—- as far as I’m aware there is no such thing as a “loan with confirmation to buy”. By definition, that is simply a sale (with deferred payment terms). What I’m reading suggests that it’s an option in favor of Juve, which becomes an obligation if Weston plays at least 60% of games (probably unlikely, and at any rate within Juve’s control).

  4. Learning from Pirlo would be a very interesting development for him. From what I’ve seen sometimes Wes is flying around the field without purpose. Pirlo never had that type of athletic ability and was one of the smartest players in his generation. If he can teach him how to harness his athletic ability at the right time to be most effective it’s be huge.
    On a different note I’m surprised by this. I think he’s a good player and all but did not think he was at Juve’s level.

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  5. There’s a surprise. As long as he earns some playing time. I can remember how much Bradley elevated his game during his time in Serie A. His passing was crisp, decision making much better, and was much better at box to box.

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  6. Schalke is in a dire financial crisis. They can’t afford to loan they need to sell. I would be shocked if Schalke agrees to this.

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    • someone made fun of me for saying they were playing chicken. turning down $20m to chase $25m and/or putting this loan bid in the mix is in fact playing chicken. juve’s package is more upon full consummation but it assumes they buy next year, and like you’re saying, they need cash now. i wouldn’t be surprised if they release this publicity balloon and keep fighting for their $25m outright they wanted to start with. fwiw while they foster the bidding war they keep paying his paychecks. so you’re offsetting the net by how much you pay in the paycheck to carry the asset this extra month. rich teams can afford that. broke teams are spending payroll they don’t have while putting off the windfall they need.

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  7. sounds like he wanted out a window too early for schalke’s taste if they are taking a moderate loan fee instead of just accepting the full purchase bid (below “ask,” but more than the loan) and being done with it. that plus the purchase option is $24.7m but there is no guarantee they do it. so they are kind of playing for time insisting on their $25m.

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    • i will be curious how much he plays if this happens. i like us moving into italy because it’s another league where i think our athleticism and physicality would be suited.

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  8. This is a terrible idea. He’s still far from a finished product and needs more than just a “big challenge”. Pirlo has the very real possibility of being a disaster. What’s the other appeal? Is Ronaldo suddenly going to be a great mentor??

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