Reports linking Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli with the exit door are gaining steam, as the player is now being linked with a move to Bologna.
The 23-year-old is a youth product of the Bianconeri and a favorite among the club’s supporters. The management even shielded him during his darkest hour, offering him a new contract while being suspended for his involvement in the betting scandal that rocked Italian football last season.
Nevertheless, the midfielder has recently fallen down in the pecking order, with Thiago Motta favoring the midfield trio of Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners, leaving Fagioli starving for minutes. His situation in Turin also cost him a place in the Italian national team, with Luciano Spalletti turning to other profiles, the likes of Samuele Ricci, Nicolo Rovella and Locatelli.
The Piacenza native’s situation in Turin has attracted some interesting parties, including Paris Saint-Germain who are reportedly willing to offer him an escape route in January.
But according to Il Corriere dello Sport, the Ligue 1 champions aren’t Fagioli’s only suitors, as the midfielder also has admirers at home, namely Bologna.
As the Roman newspaper explains, Juventus were working on signing Lewis Ferguson prior to last summer’s transfer market. The plan was to reunite the Scottish midfielder with Thiago Motta in Turin. But while the Bianconeri were in advanced negotiations with the player’s entourage, the deal collapsed when Ferguson suffered a devastating injury towards the end of the previous campaign.
Nevertheless, the source mentions an interesting anecdote, mentioning how Fagioli was at one point part of the negotiations between the two clubs, which suggests that a swap was potentially on the cards.
As the report explains, Bologna’s technical director Gianluca Sartori is a big fan of the Italian midfielder, and he would relish the opportunity to bring him to the Renato Dall’Ara.
So it remains to be seen if this exchange theory will gain some momentum, especially with Ferguson recently making his return from his long injury ordeal.