Reports in Italy claim that Juventus are already beginning to look at potential midfielders, including players at Tottenham, Fulham and Sporting CP, to replace Douglas Luiz after the Brazilian went AWOL on the first day of pre-season training.
Douglas Luiz is expected to be fined and then sold after failing to report for the first day of Juventus’s pre-season training camp on Thursday.
The Brazilian had already struggled to justify his €50m price tag during his first season in Turin following his move from Aston Villa last summer, and is now expected to be shown out of the Allianz Stadium as a result of his unauthorised absence on Thursday.
Who could replace Douglas Luiz at Juventus?
Initial reports claim that Juventus are hoping to raise around €40m if they are to sell the 27-year-old this summer.
Now, according to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri are already beginning to consider potential options to replace the Brazilian.
One of the midfielders that Juventus are particularly keen on is Sporting CP’s Morten Hjulmand, formerly of Lecce.
The 26-year-old is expected to cost just as much, if not more than Douglas Luiz, though, with a price tage in the region of €40m. La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that this is only feasible if Juventus are able to make sales first, pointing to Douglas Luiz, Dusan Vlahovic and/or Nico Gonzalez.
Another option for the Bianconeri is Tottenham Hotspur’s Yves Bissouma.
Though he is slightly more experienced and is expected to cost less than Hjulmand, the Mali international would take up the last remaining non-EU slot in Juve’s squad, which the club are currently hoping to give to Nahuel Mollina if they are able to strike a deal with Atletico Madrid.
Fulham midfielder Sander Berge has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Douglas Luiz at Juventus, as has former Fiorentina and Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, and Florentino from Benfica.