Juventus News Roundup: Juve handed major boost in Arkadiusz Milik pursuit, Moise Kean's brother reveals why youngster left the Bianconeri and more - 19 February 2021
Juventus can sign one of their top transfer targets in the summer and there is a kicker.
Juventus haven't had the best week. They lost 2-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League tie against Porto in midweek. The Bianconeri are expected to do a fair bit of business in the summer transfer window as Andrea Pirlo remains keen on adding reinforcements to his squad.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Juventus from 19 February 2021.
Antonio Cassano slams Cristiano Ronaldo for being selfish
Cristiano Ronaldo turned in an unimpressive performance against Porto in the Champions League for Juventus. Former Italian striker Antonio Cassano has slammed the Portuguese for being selfish and not buying into Andrea Pirlo's philosophy.
Speaking on Christian Vieri’s Twitch channel BoboTV, Cassano said:
“I have always said, even though he is a phenomenon and has scored a billion goals, that with Andrea Pirlo’s idea of football he could run into difficulties. He scores a goal per game, it’s true, but he struggles with Andrea’s idea. He’s always been a bit selfish, he doesn’t give a damn about others scoring goals.
“He’s the kind of player that lives to score, not for the game, for the great match. He lives to score and in this moment the situation is getting worse. The years pass for everyone and he is having difficulties.
“The paradox is that Juventus have bought a player who has won five Champions Leagues but has so many difficulties in the Champions League.
“This is because, since Sarri, Juventus are trying to show a style that is different to its history. It’s clear that Pirlo must be judged in four or five years, but Juventus want everything immediately.”
Moise Kean's brother says Sarri was the reason youngster was sold by Juventus
Moise Kean broke into the Juventus first-team after rising through the ranks and his potential was there for all to see. The Bianconeri fanbase adored him and believed that a long-term solution to their striking problems had been found before he was surprisingly sold to Everton in the 2019 summer transfer window.
Moise Kean's brother Giovanni Kean has now revealed that Juventus did not sell the youngster for financial reasons. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport (Calciomercato.com), he said:
"The Juventus management never wanted to sell Moise (Kean). The transfer didn’t take place for economic reasons. I think it was a tactical choice made by the new manager [Maurizio Sarri].
If Allegri had remained, Moise wouldn’t have left. He would still be at Juve, which is one of the top clubs in Europe.
In the presence of Paulo Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata the competition would have been tough, but there are also top players at PSG. Icardi is one of the best strikers out there, but he has played less matches than Moise."
After enduring a difficult spell in the Premier League with Everton, Moise Kean has once again hit his stride with Paris Saint-Germain where he is currently on loan.
Juventus can sign Arkadiusz Milik on a cut-price deal
Juventus were keen on signing Arkadiusz Milik in the January transfer window as a backup to Alvaro Morata. However, they couldn't strike a deal as Napoli weren't willing to let Milik join a title-rival if not for a hefty fee.
Milik is currently on loan at Olympique Marseille but is expected to return to Napoli in the summer. Calciomercato has now claimed that there is no clause stopping Juventus from signing the 26-year-old on a cut-price deal.
Arkadiusz Milik's current contract with Napoli will run out in the summer of 2022 and as such, Juventus can sign him for a cut-price deal in the summer.
They might have to put a little more money into the deal than other bidders in order to persuade Napoli but other than that, there's nothing forbidding them from making a move.