While player transfer sagas are common in football, Juventus and Napoli have been embroiled in a soap opera revolving around sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli.
The 51-year-old has been delivering the goods in the Southern City since 2015. His work culminated in a historic Scudetto triumph at the end of the 2022/23 season.
But while the director believes this is the ideal time for him to embark on a new career adventure, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis would loathe the idea of releasing his squad architect, subsequently granting him safe passage to Turin.
But according to Calciomercato, Giuntoli has finally found an agreement with the Napoli patron which will pave the way for an imminent switch to Juventus.
As the source tells it, the former Capri director will relinquish a part of his salary which he hasn’t yet collected for the 2022/23 season, in addition to premium bonuses. In return, De Laurentiis would allow him to rescind his contract (expiring in 2024).
Therefore, the report expects Giuntoli to conclude his move from Napoli to Juventus by the end of the week.
Juve FC say
This will a major boost for the Bianconeri amid a delicate summer campaign. But we have to wait and see which role will Giuntoli assert at Juventus.
The experienced executive could replace Giovanni Manna as sporting director, or assume a higher position where he would oversee the latter’s work.