With only a month to go before the transfer market closes for the summer, it seems the bulk of Juve’s buying is done, but there’s still one main component missing.

The arrivals of Douglas Costa, Federico Bernardeschi, Mattia De Sciglio and Bob Szczesny have gone some way to compensate for the shock departure of Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan, but there’s a growing sentiment among some Juventini that the side is weaker than last season.

Granted, the loss of the best centre-back in the world today is a tough one to take, but there are positives to be gleaned from his transfer, most notably more playing time for Daniele Rugani who has done  incredibly well to bide his time without showing impertinence or impatience. His regular inclusion in the starting XI next season will not only give him an opportunity to excel as a player by getting the time he deserves on the pitch, but also the opportunity to make mistakes (as Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli have done) and learn from them.

Perhaps the biggest issue yet to be addressed lies in the lack of a central midfielder to alleviate the pressure on Miralem Pjanic when playing in the 4-2-3-1 system that Allegri seems intent on persevering with. The results after the shift in tactic’s were impressive, albeit with makeshift players filling in key roles (Mandzukic as a left-winger, Dani Alves on right), but the final in Cardiff exposed something in the centre of the pitch that has needed addressing since Arturo Vidal packed his bags for Germany. There’s fight, heart and determination in midfield with players like Pjanic, Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira, but we lack that special something that been missing since the break up of the Pogba-Vidal-Pirlo triumvirate .

My hope, as last season progressed, was that a tweak in tactics, a subtle shift here or there, a move from a 3-man midfield to a 2-man would somehow spark more creativity from the centre, as opposed to some of the workmanlike performances we saw early on. Perhaps I’m seeing things too naively or downplaying the contribution of the players (Pjanic provided 14 assists and 8 goals in all competitions) but there is something missing from the heart of the pitch.

The names mentioned so far vary in quality and standing – Blaise Matuidi could provide the kind of energy and dynamism that’s needed for a midfield duo, but it’s an expensive gamble. The same could be said of Steven N’Zonzi and Nemanja Matic, both of whom seem pricey and unrealistic given Sevilla won’t budge on price and Chelsea are reluctant to deal with us. The outside choice, and my own personal preference, would be Lazio’s Sergej Milinković-Savić, an incredibly promising young talent who’s grown in stature over two seasons in the capital. He’s still young and rough around the edges, and even though is sounds a trite cliche, he’s shown a lot of maturity at Lazio, playing a key part in their 4th place finish last season. The problem, of course, is trying to broker a deal with Claudio Lotito who seems to enjoy taking shots at Juventus, every chance he gets.

With the exception of midfield, the rest of the squad looks relatively set, although there are some other deals in the making which could benefit us over the course of a long and exhausting season. Balde Keita is a confirmed Juventus target and by all accounts, the player would prefer a move to Turin over Milan or London. According to the Italian press, Juve have offered €20m while Lazio are holding out for closer to €30m, which seems ridiculous given that the player only has a year left on his contract, but this is the age we live in.

The right-back position has been partially addressed with the arrival of De Sciglio, but he’s yet to prove himself over the course of the season, having featured in limited appearances for Milan. It’ll take a little faith, but I get the feeling we can restore Mattia to his best under the management of Max Allegri; Given that the boss has pushed to sign the player for some time now, he’s obviously seen something in him that others haven’t and perhaps it’ll be €12m very well spent. The other names linked with Juve is Joao Cancelo who is reportedly very keen on a move to Juve, however his arrival could largely be dependent on Stephan Lichtsteiner’s future. The Swiss full-back is supposedly attracting the attention of Nice, but the impression is that he is happier to remain at Juve for now.

Despite failing his medical, Patrik Schick is still an option for Juve according to various sources in Italy, but there’s a suggestion that it will be either Schick or Keita that joins the Bianconeri this summer, not both. It’ll be interesting to see how Allegri fields his new attacking lineup, especially as he now has ample cover in every position. Moise Kean is ever closer to signing his first professional contract with Juve and there’s a suggestion that he will remain in Turin until at least Christmas, which would make him a great understudy for Higuain. Yes, he’s still incredibly young and has plenty to learn, but i’m all in favour of throwing him on with 15 minutes left once a result has been sealed. Perhaps he’d grow more as a player were he to be loaned to Hellas Verona or the like, but i’d still prefer to keep him closer to home given he’s only 17 and will have plenty of time to get on the pitch in years to come.