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David Tully Jul 29th 2026
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Arsenal were “willing to exchange” goalkeepers with Juventus, according to reports in the Italian media.
Tuttosport claim that the offer was made by agent Arturo Canales, who represents Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Canales is said to have held talks with Juve’s two big decision-makers, CEO Giovanni Carnevali and CFO Fredric Massara.
In the meeting a few days ago, Tuttosport reports that a swap with Michele Di Gregorio was suggested – an exchange that was approved by the Gunners, but Carnevali and Massara weren’t interested in doing the deal.
Who is Michele Di Gregorio?
The 29-year-old has won the Serie A goalkeeper of the year award in the past (2023/24), but after moving to Juventus from Monza (initially on loan) in 2024, he hasn’t particularly impressed.
Di Gregorio was dropped on no less than five occasions after poor performances last season, and the Bianconeri are currently seeking a replacement.
They attempted to buy Alisson Becker from Liverpool earlier this summer, and they have also made attempts to land Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez.
While they clearly don’t rate Di Gregorio, it seems they were not keen on bringing in Kepa to succeed him in goal.
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Why is Kepa looking to leave Arsenal?
The former Chelsea keeper wants to play regular first-team football, and he won’t get that if he stays at the Emirates, with David Raya the undisputed no.1.
Kepa did have a £5m release clause, which would have allowed him to depart easily, but that buyout fee has reportedly expired.
That makes his exit more complicated but his representative is clearly looking for creative ways to get him a move. From the looks of things, though, he won’t be making the switch to Turin.
David Tully
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.