5 potential free agents Juventus should target in 2022
Juventus are arguably known as the king of free transfers and have bought some of the world's best players without even paying a single penny. The likes of Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Sami Khedira have all arrived in Turin on free transfers. They made a significant impact on the pitch for the Old Lady, helping them dominate Serie A over the years.
However, in recent years, we have seen Juventus move away from this policy and instead target a move for players who cost money. Although they have signed a few players on free transfers, they have not done justice to their predecessors.
Juventus are struggling financially due to the pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic had a huge financial impact on several Italian clubs and Juventus were one of them. The Bianconeri had to bear huge losses during the pandemic and as such had to let go of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.
With not a lot of finances available right now, Juventus might once again look to sign players for a free next summer. Considering the areas in which the squad needs to improve, we take a look at five potential free agents who the club could target in 2022:
#5 Edinson Cavani
How time changes. Just a few months back, Edinson Cavani was the main man in attack for Manchester United. The Uruguay international starred for the Red Devils and scored some crucial goals towards the end of last season.
His performances even earned him a one-year extension at Old Trafford and it looked like Cavani would be the first-choice in front of goal again.
But the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus towards the end of the summer transfer window completely changed the scenario for the 34-year-old. The Portuguese international is now the main man for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
How can Manchester United fit Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani into the same starting XI?
#MUFC #UCL #Ronaldo https://t.co/MZMAfkBmzq
As such it looks likely that the former PSG striker will leave United once his contract expires next summer.
Ronaldo's departure from Juventus has left a hole in their squad and the addition of Cavani could certainly help fulfill that. While Cavani is by no means as prolific as Ronaldo, he still poses a potent threat in front of goal and could provide healthy competition for Alvaro Morata.
Cavani's arrival could also ease the goalscoring pressure on youngsters like Moise Kean and Kaio Jorge, who can also learn and benefit from the forward's experience.
It will be interesting to see whether Juventus go after Cavani next summer or whether the Old Lady go in search of a young but expensive option upfront.
#4 Niklas Sule
Another player Juventus should look to sign for free next summer is Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule. The German has just one year left on his contract and there has been no news so far of Bayern offering him a contract extension.
With Giorgio Chiellini turning 38 next year and Matthijs de Ligt constantly linked with an exit, Sule's addition next season could prove to be pivotal for the Serie A outfit.
Standing at 6ft 5in, Sule is an excellent defender and is pretty comfortable on the ball. Last season, the 26-year-old had a pass success rate of 90.7 per cent, the third-best in the Bundesliga.
He is also a great tackler of the ball, averaging 1.9 tackles per 90 and has a solid tackle success rate of 81 per cent.
Various reports have claimed that Bayern are targeting Antonio Rudiger or Matthias Ginter next summer. As such, the opportunity to sign Sule on a free transfer is definitely should ideally be too good to turn down for Juventus.
It looks like Bayern might possibly be planning for a Rudiger contingency plan if Niklas Sule doesn’t sign a new deal. https://t.co/Jd06Idex4k