Juventus have reportedly joined the queue for up-and-coming Cesena bomber Cristian Shpendi who has been earning plaudits in Serie B this term.
The 21-year-old started his youth career at San Marino Academy alongside his twin brother Stiven. Both strikers were poached by Cesena in 2019.
Stiven seemed to be the more promising prospect early on, especially after being snapped up by Empoli in the summer of 2023. However, his impact with the Serie A club was limited and has been loaned out to Serie B side Carrarese where he has only managed to score a single goal in 10 league appearances thus far.
On the other hand, Cristian has been on the rise. He has already found the back of the net 10 times in his 16 Serie B appearances for the Sea Horses.
So according to Tuttosport via JuventusNews24, the Italo-Albanian forward has attracted the interest of several clubs in Serie A, chief among them Juventus.
The Bianconeri have reportedly joined the likes of Napoli and Fiorentina who have also set their sights on Cristian Shpendi, in addition to English clubs, claims the report.
Cristian Shpendi representing Cesena
The young man’s contract with Cesena is valid until the summer of 2028 and Transfermarkt estimates his value at circa 4 million euros.
As the Turin-based newspaper explains, Juventus will be looking to sign a new defender in January amidst their injury crisis. Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal will likely miss the remainder of the season due to ACL tears.
That being said, the club could also decide to bolster the attacking department which only contais Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik at the moment. The latter has been struggling with a knee problem since June, and while the club i**s hoping for his return in January**, it remains to be seen how quickly he’ll be able to return to full fitness.