If we have learned anything about this current rumor mill involving Juventus’ potential targets is that, like a lot of clubs, they are looking for some deals. They want to be a player for free agents this coming summer, and it’s something that only be confirmed more and more with each week we get closer to the upcoming window.
We’ve gotten more confirmation of that a few hours ago.
According to Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio on Thursday, Juventus are making an attempt to bring Leonardo Spinazzola back to Turin once he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season. Spinazzola, who left Juve in the summer of 2019 as part of the swap deal with Roma that sent Luca Pellegrini to Turin, has seen contract talks with Napoli not progress as he would like, thus opening the door to a potential departure. That door being open is one that Juventus clearly have checked in on, with Di Marzio saying that the two sides have discussed the Bianconeri are offering a the 32-year-old Spinazzola a two-year contract as compared to Napoli’s offer of just a one-year extension with an option for a second.
If Napoli won’t up their offer and guarantee a second season on his new deal, then one can probably assume that is where Spinazzola would probably prefer to stay considering how he’s played under Antonio Conte.
But right now, it’s hard to know if Napoli will add a second year onto their proposal or keep it on the current one-plus-one formula that Spinazzola doesn’t seem overly keen on.
A lot has happened in Spinazzola’s career since he last wore a Juventus jersey. He moved to Roma as part of the aforementioned swap deal with Pellegrini — who is now with Roma’s arch-rival Lazio after leaving Juventus in the summer of 2023 — and then went on to be one of the unsung heroes of Italy’s run to the Euro 2020(1) title before rupturing his Achilles in the Azzurri’s quarterfinal win over Belgium.
As you would probably guess, coming back from one of the worst injuries a professional athlete can suffer wasn’t easy to come back from — and that was the case for Spinazzola. His career has never hit the heights since he was getting worldwide plaudits for his performances under then-Italy manager Roberto Mancini. Just a few years later, he was leaving Roma on a free transfer and heading to southern Italy to sign with Napoli.
In his first season in Naples, Spinazzola was part of Conte’s Serie A title-winning squad. Up until this past winter, he hadn’t had to deal with extended periods of injury like he had both before and after his Achilles injury in the summer of 2021. But on the whole, he has been healthy and available to Conte for much of his time as a Napoli player.
Where he potentially fits into Juventus’ future plans is a little unknown. Do they see him as a fullback where his defensive shortcomings would be exposed? Or is he more of an attacking player now that he’s seven years older compared to his last appearance with Juve? It’s hard to say, but as we know, there is a feeling that there will be a lot of moving parts with this roster this summer — and free agents look to be playing their part in all of that.