Juventus reportedly have an ace up their sleeves in their attempts to sign Paris Saint-Germain wantaway Milan Skriniar.
The Bianconeri are keen to sign one or two defenders in January after losing Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal to season-ending injuries. On the other hand, the Slovakian is hoping to escape the French capital as soon as possible and put his career back in order.
So what might seem like an idea born out of desperation, Juventus and Skriniar are arguably a match made in heaven. The 29-year-old has vast Serie A experience under his belt, and was widely considered one of the best defenders in the league during his storied stint at Inter.
But while the financial aspect is the main obstacle to overcome, the Old Lady has an interesting card in hand.
As reported earlier today, Nicolo Fagioli has emerged as a transfer target for PSG, which could facilitate Skriniar’s move to Turin.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via Calciomercato, Skriniar has already given the initial approval to join Juventus, but neither side is keen on a six-month dry loan.
So as the source explains, the addition of Fagioli could make this possible. The Italian midfielder has recently lost his starting berth in Thiago Motta’s lineup, which also cost him a place in the Italian national team. Nevertheless, he still has a market value of 25 million euros.
Hence, if the Bianconeri agree to sacrifice their youth product, they should be able to find an agreement with the Ligue 1 champions that also includes Skriniar. In this case, the Slovakian wouldn’t join Juventus on a dry loan, but more likely on a deal that includes an option or an obligation to buy at the end of the season.
However, the main hurdle remains the wages. While both players are running on contracts valid until June 2028, Fagioli’s salary at Juventus is 1.5 million euros while Skriniar earns