Juventus are in the midst of an in injury crisis, but young midfielder Nicolo Fagioli can’t find space in the team and seems more distant from the club than ever before.
La Gazzetta dello Sport [**report**](https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/Juventus/04-12-2024/fagioli-fiducia-finita-motta-non-lo-vede-e-la-juve-lo-vende.shtml) how after spending last season waiting to return due to a long suspension for betting, Nico started the current one with high expectations but quickly found himself on the fringes of the new coach’s project. For the first time, he’s also on the transfer market. A mix of technical and economic issues is pushing him towards an exit – an unimaginable epilogue just a few months ago.
Fagioli had started the 2024-25 season as a starter and was one of the best performers in Leipzig during Juventus’ most brilliant evening under Thiago, earning praise from the coach. Then something changed, as the numbers clearly show: only 2 starts in the last 11 games and less than 45 minutes played in the last month.
The player now wants to leave, and Juventus would be willing to accommodate him, partly to secure funds for the January transfer market to address the emergency, particularly in defense but also in attack.
The evening in Leipzig was the peak before returning to the shadows. Fagioli as a regista in Germany had delighted and convinced in the 3-2 comeback with one man down, stealing the spotlight and pushing Locatelli to the sidelines. However, the situation quickly reversed, with the more experienced Locatelli reclaiming his fixed position.
Motta has also tried Fagioli in the attacking midfield role, a position the player doesn’t prefer and which is now permanently occupied by Koopmeiners, considered indispensable by the coach. For Thiago, more than a matter of characteristics, it’s a question of attitude: the young player struggles to find the consistency of performance that the coach demands from everyone.
For all these reasons, the relationship with Motta has frayed, and Fagioli is no longer on the list of untouchables as he was in the summer. Juventus helped him during his suspension period, renewing his contract as a show of faith, but now wouldn’t have difficulty letting him go. They could also make a significant capital gain from his sale, as Nicolò grew up in the Juventus youth sector and cost the club nothing.
The club values him at around 25-30 million euros, and there’s no shortage of admirers: from De Zerbi’s Marseille to PSG and Premier League clubs. In Italy, Fagioli is liked by Conte’s Napoli, where he would reunite with Giovanni Manna, a former Juventus executive with whom he has an excellent relationship.
Nicolò is looking for a team that can guarantee him more playing time. After a season in purgatory and long months spent fighting gambling addiction, he needs to play consistently and find joy and lightness in football, the thing that makes him happiest. Moreover, he wants to regain his place in the national team: the lack of playing time at the club has probably influenced Spalletti’s recent call-ups, who left him out in November.