Juventus

Juventus have gone into isolation after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

"This procedure will allow all members who tested negative to the controls to carry out regular training and match activities, but will not be allowed contact with outside the group," the club said in a statement Saturday. "The club is in constant contact with the competent health authorities."

The Italian champions said none of the infected individuals are players or members of the technical or medical staffs, and they added they expect to be able to play Sunday's scheduled game against Napoli.

However, Napoli are dealing with an outbreak of their own after midfielder Piotr Zielinski and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 during testing this week, and Reuters (h/t ESPN) noted reports from Italy suggesting the team may be banned from travelling to Turin to face Juventus. 

Napoli's last game was Sunday against Genoa, who have had several players and staff members test positive. 

Juventus announced Tuesday it signed striker Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid on a one-year loan worth €10 million.

OFFICIAL: Alvaro Morata returns to Juventus on a loan deal with an option to buy ⚪⚫ pic.twitter.com/HogbHkx3a7

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 22, 2020

The deal allows for the Serie A champions to extend Morata's stay in Turin. Juve can pay €45 million to make his move permanent after the 2020-21 season. They would need to pay €10 million to keep him on loan through 2021-22, after which a €35 million fee would be attached to a permanent transfer.

Morata spent two seasons with Juventus before Real Madrid triggered a buy-back clause in June 2016. In 63 league appearances, he had 15 goals and 12 assists.

To date, the 27-year-old's reputation has largely outpaced his production on the pitch. He has never scored more than 15 league goals in a season, a feat he achieved once with Madrid in 2016-17. Despite that, he has shuffled through a number of prominent clubs across Europe.

Alvaro Morata has accumulated over 200 million Euros for clubs in transfer fees throughout his career 😲

And with a move back to Juventus on the horizon it will grow more! Is he worth it? 💭 pic.twitter.com/4VU63ERGZd

— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) September 22, 2020

Morata will likely benefit from the supporting cast around him, which ensures he doesn't have to be the primary goalscoring threat in every match.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 52 goals through his first two years at Juventus, while Paulo Dybala proved his worth to the club after a potential move to the Premier League fell through.

Juve were looking to replace Gonzalo Higuain, who left for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Sky Italia reported earlier this month they had Edin Dzeko and Olivier Giroud on their list of targets. That arguably speaks to a club attempting to bolster its forward depth rather than aiming for a player to transform its attack.

With that in mind, Morata is a solid addition.

Inter Miami announced the signing of Gonzalo Higuain on Friday, one day after the Argentinian striker mutually terminated his contract with Juventus.

Without further ado…

Welcome to Inter Miami, Gonzalo Higuaín! pic.twitter.com/tZ8uPkbqeq

— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) September 18, 2020

Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald reported Higuain's annual base salary will be around $7 million, which will make him MLS' highest-paid player.

The 32-year-old attacker has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe. After starting his career with River Plate in Argentina, he joined Real Madrid in 2007 before stops with Napoli and Juventus. He also went on loan stints with A.C. Milan and Chelsea in recent years.

He told Inter Miami's official website he's excited to help set a standard for a club in its infancy.

"It excites me that this is a new club with ambition to grow and do things well," Higuain said. "It's a beautiful place to be able to play...I think there's a good team here to be able to do important things."

The striker's goal-scoring numbers have dipped in a more limited role in recent years. He scored 11 times in 44 appearances across all competitions for Juventus last term, but he found the net for his club at least 20 times in eight seasons during a 10-year stretch beginning with Real Madrid in 2008-09.

Moving to Miami, where he should take on a prominent role and face less strenuous competition, gives him a golden opportunity to become a high-impact contributor once again.

"Training, perfecting my craft, the desire to improve on anything I did wrong, never give up, never lose the motivation or the desire to continue to learn," he told the club's website about what helped him achieve past success. "As good of a player as you might be, or as much as you have played at the elite levels, there's always motivation to continue to improve."

The Herons, led by president David Beckham, have struggled during their debut season with a 2-7-2 record through 11 matches.

It hasn't been announced when Higuain will make his debut. Miami is scheduled for a road match against Atlanta United on Saturday. After that, there are two matches left in the regular season, next Wednesday at home against the New York Red Bulls and Sept. 27 on the road against the Philadelphia Union.

Juventus are working on a €3 million loan deal with Schalke for United States men's national team midfielder Weston McKennie, according to Sky Sports' Fabrizio Romano.

The Serie A champions would have the option to make the move permanent by paying an €18 million transfer fee.

McKennie made 28 Bundelisga appearances for Schalke this season, finishing with three goals. The 21-year-old was the 10th-highest-rated player (6.78) at the club on WhoScored.com.

Schalke are in the midst of a financial crunch, having finished the 2018-19 season with debts nearing €200 million. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation, with the club saying in April it's "facing a potentially existence-threatening financial situation."

As a result, McKennie is one of the most obvious candidates to leave, be it to Juventus or another club. He's one of Schalke's brightest talents, and his connection to the USMNT likely brings added commercial benefits.

A move to Juve would be clearly a strong endorsement of McKennie.

21-year old Weston McKennie of Little Elm, Texas, linked with move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus. American football will improve when our best young players test themselves against the best. May McKennie continue to grow and grow 🇺🇸 https://t.co/NCdh5WqtNI

— roger bennett (@rogbennett) August 26, 2020

However, playing time would be one concern since the club already has Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey and Rodrigo Bentancur. Arthur's arrival from Barcelona is imminent as well, and French outlets (h/t the Guardian's Barry Glendenning) have reported Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar would be interested in a transfer to Juventus.

Y’all won’t stop pestering me for it so here it is: I’m skeptical of Weston McKennie to Juve. They do not have a good track record of developing young players, & it remains to be seen if his playing style is a good fit for the team. I hope I am SO wrong, but I’m worried.

— Aaron West (@oeste) August 26, 2020

Romano reported on Aug. 21 that Juve will terminate Khedira's contract, which would clear up the log jam somewhat. The arrival of Andrea Pirlo as manager represents a clean slate to some extent as well.

Still, Juventus have set a high bar for themselves. Their dominance in Italy is such that winning Serie A is almost a given, and anything short of a Champions League title is a disappointment. Bringing the club its ninth straight league championship wasn't enough for Maurizio Sarri to earn a second season as manager.

Player development might take a back seat for Pirlo in his first year, which would potentially mean a younger star such as McKennie getting overlooked for more proven options.

Andrea Pirlo's surprise appointment at Juventus suddenly brings a host of new questions as we consider the next stage of the side's development.

The Maurizio Sarri experiment has been written off after just one season—that UEFA Champions League last-16 defeat to Lyon proving to be the final nail in his Juve coffin.

Now there is new excitement, a fresh outlook.

As Juve fan Arjun Pradeep told us: "I am extremely excited. Pirlo was the one who rejuvenated Juventus [as a player] and launched this incredibly successful era.

"Now I want to see a well orchestrated unit that demonstrates a great balance of technique and physicality. I want to see a dominating Juventus side that will also do whatever is necessary to win.

"I believe he has the characteristics to achieve this because as a player he was a genius, who played under some of the greatest coaches to ever grace football."

Pirlo is just days into the job, but there are immediate questions.

Will the transfer targets change? Will Ronaldo stay? Could he bring back Paul Pogba?

Pirlo spoke with the club on Sunday for the first time about their approach to this transfer window, and now we wait to see what the side will look like for the new Serie A season.

There have been plenty of rumours in the past few days, from Sandro Tonali to Isco. So we looked into the situation and called upon Bleacher Report sources in Italy to get an idea of what might happen.

                     

Defence

There is not going to be too much time to consider a complete overhaul of the team before next season, and that might mean a rethink of how they build next season's defence.

The futures of Alex Sandro, Mattia De Sciglio, Danilo and Daniele Rugani have all looked in the balance, but it is thought the club will be careful about which of these they now sell and replace.

Defence was an area of priority last year. Matthijs De Ligt was signed from Ajax as part of the future vision, but he now has a shoulder injury that may make Juve think about the centre of defence a little more than they would want to.

But sources say that while Juve may make some small alterations, they are more likely to focus their big transfer business in areas further up the field.

                   

Midfield

Pirlo was left in tears when Juventus were beaten by Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final, and it was Paul Pogba who was first to give him a comforting hug.

That was Pirlo's final match for Juve, but senior figures around Turin were always sure he would return. At times, people have also been pretty sure Pogba would return too, but a reunion seems very unlikely.

We asked a couple of well-placed sources about Pogba and the Juve rumours that never seem to go away. For now, we are told—mainly because of the finances involved—that it is "almost impossible."

A deal for Isco, floated by Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport, is unlikely at this stage too.

It is thought Pirlo is a great admirer of his style of play, but Isco's potential fee—likely to be upwards of €50 million—as well as his high wages will be a factor. Another issue would be convincing him to actually leave Real Madrid after seven years at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Maybe a more subtle approach can be expected for the reinvention of the Juve midfield. Arthur has already agreed his move from Barcelona as part of the Miralem Pjanic swap deal, and Dejan Kulusevski is joining from Parma.

The most exciting name on lips of people around the club right now is Brescia's young prince Sandro Tonali, a player linked with so many top clubs in recent months.

This rumour has been doing the rounds for months, but with Pirlo at the wheel instead of Sarri, the player would surely become more tempted. Inter Milan are also making an attempt to sign the player, who has an asking price of around €40 million. Intermediaries have been on the case for weeks trying to find out what other fees would be necessary to sign the 20-year-old Italy international.

"The change in philosophy will not be as complete as it was to be with Sarri," explains Mirko Di Natale of TuttoJuve.com. "There will be great curiosity about how Pirlo will help the midfield, which was the weakest department this year. Players will also be more likely to get advice from someone like Pirlo, a maestro of football."

The chances of Jorginho joining from Chelsea have all but disappeared along with Sarri, but sources still expect the club to follow through with sales in the middle of the park. B/R has been told Sami Khedira is searching for a suitable new club, while Blaise Matuidi is set to join Inter Miami.

Ramsey has previously been told he can search for a new team too, but no one has shown firm interest. England is seen as his only real possibility, but wages of over €7 million per year are a problem for most sides in Europe, so Pirlo may have to find a way to work with the Welshman for now.

                   

Forwards

Cristiano Ronaldo will be frustrated at the Champions League failure this season, but we can expect him to be around to help Pirlo next season. A report from Footmercato in France suggests sporting director Leonardo wants to take him to PSG next season and is making contact with agent Jorge Mendes over the possibility.

Yet sources in Italy feel Ronaldo will wait to see how the Pirlo project begins to unravel, and which names arrive to support him, before he has any thought about leaving.

He'll have Paulo Dybala up front with him next season, though Gonzalo Higuain won't be there.

Sources are adamant Higuain has played his last game for Juve. There is also an impression among some journalists that he might be tempted to terminate his contract one year early and pursue a new venture in America, where there is believed to be MLS interest.

The possibility of a return to Argentina, his homeland, is there too, and River Plate sporting director Enzo Francescoli would love to make the signing happen. 

Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi are also on the market this summer—completing the list of 10 players available or likely to leave. There is realism within the club that not all will find new homes before the transfer window closes.

In terms of Higuain's replacement, though, we might have an area for Pirlo to announce his own surprise. Arkadiusz Milik had been the new man Sarri wanted to lead the attack next season, but that now hangs in the balance.

Sources are suggesting that the deal could still be on because he was available on a good deal with his Napoli contract beginning to run down, but Pirlo's own vision is likely to shape the type of striker they sign.

Raul Jimenez of Wolves has also been mooted, but that deal looks expensive—upwards of €65 million—and might be a risk given the player turns 30 next year. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also been linked but seems set to stay at Arsenal. 

The club are assuring their new coach that they will, gradually, help shape this side exactly as he needs. But cutting back the squad is vital before the big changes can happen.

Juventus are about to begin their latest bid for Champions League glory. Pirlo will get more time than Sarri to focus on his objectives, and because of that there will be no overnight overhaul. This project will take a little time but could ultimately transform Juve's style and success in typical Pirlo fashion.

Juventus announced Saturday that manager Maurizio Sarri was fired after the club was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Lyon in the last 16 on Friday.

"The club would like to thank the coach for having written a new page in Juventus' history with the victory of the ninth consecutive championship, the culmination of a personal journey that led him to climb all the divisions of Italian football," the statement read.

Juventus later announced that former legendary midfielder Andrea Pirlo would be named Sarri's replacement. 

Sarri lamented the harsh nature of the Champions League's knockout stages after Juve were eliminated despite going undefeated in group play and winning 2-1 win in the second leg.

"This competition doesn't take any prisoners," he told reporters Friday. "If it were a normal ranking, we would be first or second after six wins, a draw and a defeat."

Lyon's away goal, a 12th-minute Memphis Depay penalty, was the difference in a matchup that ended 2-2 on aggregate.

The 61-year-old also noted the Bianconeri were forced into a difficult spot immediately after an extended hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic: "We've had several months where we haven't done anything logical. We've been locked indoors, quarantined, individual training, then collective training, then 14 games in 48 days."

Nevertheless, getting knocked out of the Champions League led to his swift exit from the dominant Serie A club despite clinching the title in late July.

It marked Juventus' ninth straight domestic championship and their 36th overall, doubling the closest competition (18 each for AC Milan and Inter Milan).

Meanwhile, chairman Andrea Agnelli said Friday he's confident superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored both goals in the victory over Lyon, will remain with the side despite speculation otherwise.

"I am entirely convinced he will stay," he said. "I think the report was down to an interview from several months ago, which just happened to be published just before we played against a French team. It's an old media trick. No, I can assure you that Ronaldo remains a pillar of Juventus."

Sarri signed a three-year contract with Juventus in June 2019 but lasted just a single season with the club. His managerial track record dates back to 1990 and notably includes high-profile stops at Napoli and Chelsea.

Joshua Jones of The Sun reported Juve have "already contacted" former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino about filling the void.

Juventus haven't raised the Champions League trophy since 1996.

Since signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in July 2018 for £99.2 million, there has been a clear pursuit of stellar talent to help Juventus become European champions.

That move to sign one of the world's best and most marketable players was a major part of a journey that they hope makes them the best team on the pitch, and the biggest club off it, by 2024.

Their signings in recent times have been bold and shown different aspects of their power. Last summer, they signed Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax—beating the likes of Barcelona to his signature—showing they could entice the best up and coming talent in the world, as well as an established superstar like Ronaldo.

And now we have seen their pursuit of Arthur Melo from Barcelona, which is up-to-the minute evidence they can also take away key players—not yet in their prime—from another superclub.

At the time of writing, the deal as not been closed, but Juve have had to get smart in order to sign Arthur, taking a slightly different approach from the past two years.

They have not been concerned about their approach to spending until now. Joao Cancelo, Douglas Costa and Leonardo Bonucci were also signed in the summer of 2018 for a combined fee of around £104 million.

The following summer they laid out a further £169.65 million on transfer deals for De Ligt, Danilo, Cristian Romero, Luca Pellegrini and Merih Demiral. On top of all that, they signed free agents Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Gianluigi Buffon on huge contracts. And in January, they sealed a deal for £31.5 million Dejan Kulusevski, 20, from Atalanta. 

Suddenly, though, the Italian champions are having to curb their enthusiasm for big-money signings.

The impact of COVID-19 is to be felt hard in Turin, and sources say the lack of incoming revenue has led the club to think more carefully about how they balance the books. Big fees are a problem, and so too are the high wages they have been dishing out. 

The simple solution is that Juve will look to sell in order to buy. And as part of that, big names can leave—with Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic among the most high-profile figures available. 

Scenarios are already opening up for this summer, and B/R sources have confirmed that Higuain could be one of those, and he would ideally be replaced by Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik. Pjanic, as we know, has been in talks over that Barcelona swap with Arthur for weeks.

But others are being made available too, with Costa, Ramsey, Rabiot and Daniele Rugani all unsure where their futures lie.

Juve were clever in the way they approached the deal for Arthur. They took his valuation, then Pjanic's, and are agreeing to pay the difference. 

Sources say Juve will continue to look at such deals as a way of capturing prime targets. And we should not be surprised if, at some point, they look towards Paul Pogba again.

He is still seen as the dream signing by some at the club, and it's a deal that several sources are convinced they will continue to work on. There is an acceptance it won't work out unless Manchester United are accommodating and the player himself is eager for it to happen.

But a scenario that could work is a swap deal—and the idea of a switch with Ramsey has been floated before, sources say. At this stage, there is no movement. 

A look at other names being linked with Juve—think Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang—suggests the path to more big signings could be coming too. Though sources have been keen to play down that particular link, stressing that Milik is the prime target. 

It is coach Maurizio Sarri who has the vision of Milik leading his front line, and while his first year in charge of the club has not been easy, we should expect him to continue into next term.

The club are on course for the Serie A title and are still in this season's UEFA Champions League, so Sarri has some breathing space despite the fact fans are not completely convinced by what they have seen so far.

Rav Dhillon from the JuveFC.com blog told B/R: "Sarri has yet to truly win fans over. Many were hoping for the type of football we saw in Napoli, combined with trophies. That's fallen flat, partly due to Sarri not truly bonding with his team, but also because the management have signed players that they valued, rather than signing players that fit with Sarri's ideas about how he wants to play football.

"I don't think they'll sack him, but in that case, they need to back him. If he can turn around the Champions League deficit against Lyon [the French team are 1-0 up after the first leg of the round-of-16 tie] and win us the title, beating Inter along the way, I think it'll go some way to restoring faith and buying him some time to implement his ideas better with a new crop of players, particularly midfielders."  

Midfield is an area Sarri is used to being scrutinised. At Chelsea, much was made of his signing of Jorginho and the way he adapted to the team. Now, unsurprisingly, the player is being linked with a move to Juve. To make it happen, Juve would try to send a player in the other direction, in keeping with the one-in, one-out system they will now have to use.

The impact of COVID-19 is a test for Juve in their grand plan to dominate European football.

When they decided to increase the money being spent on the team in 2019, it was with playing catch up with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United in mind off the field. But it was also with the goal of winning the Champions League for the first time since 1996.

Juventus will continue to strive for greatness on and off the pitch. They are just having to slightly alter their way of landing the targets that will get them there. 

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With Serie A and other competitions currently on hiatus because of the coronavirus, Juventus announced Saturday the players and coach Maurizio Sarri have agreed to a wage reduction.

"The understanding provides for the reduction of the compensation for an amount equal to the monthly payments of March, April, May and June 2020," the club said in a statement. "In the coming weeks, personal agreements with the players and the coach will be finalised, as required by the current regulations."

According to Reuters (via ESPN), the total will save Juventus €90 million, equaling about $100.26 million.

The club added it will "negotiate in good faith" with the players for increases in wages if the season does resume.

The 2019-20 Serie A season was halted in early March along with all sports in Italy during the massive outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. Per CNN.com, there have been more than 10,000 deaths in Italy as a result of the disease.

Giorgio Chiellini reportedly led player negotiations, while Cristiano Ronaldo had reportedly personally accepted a wage cut of €3.8 million.

The Portuguese star had also donated €1 million to hospitals in Lisbon and Porto to help the fight against COVID-19.

While cutting wages for the entire club is a drastic move, it has become a relatively common occurrence with La Liga squads like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid requiring action to save money.

Cristiano Ronaldo and agent Jorge Mendes pledged €1 million toward funding three intensive care units in Portugal to aid in coronavirus relief.

The donation will cover two ICUs in Santa Maria hospital in Lisbon and one at the Santo Antonio hospital in Porto.

"We were contacted by Jorge Mendes, who volunteered with Cristiano Ronaldo to fund two intensive care units for critically ill patients with COVID-19," Santa Maria President Daniel Ferro said. "There are fans, monitors, infusion pumps, beds, all the equipment that makes up an intensive care unit equipped to provide assistance to a patient infected with COVID-19."

There have been more than 2,300 coronavirus cases and 33 deaths in Portugal. The government shut down all non-essential businesses last week, and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa went into self-isolation earlier this month "to be an example," he said, per Reuters.

Paulo Barbosa, president of the board of Centro Hospitalar Universitario do Porto, thanked Ronaldo and Mendes for their donation.

"This unit will allow the opening of 15 intensive care beds, fully equipped with fans, monitors and other equipment," Barbosa stated. "The Centro Hospitalar Universitario do Porto thanks Cristiano Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes for this very useful initiative, at a time when the country needs everyone so much."

Juventus forward Paulo Dybala announced Saturday that he and his girlfriend, Oriana Sabatini, tested positive for COVID-19.

Despite the diagnosis, Dybala tweeted that he and Sabatini are in "perfect conditions."

Hi everyone, I just wanted just to inform you that we have received the results for the Covid-19 test and both Oriana and I have tested positive. Luckily we are in perfect conditions. Thanks for your messages.

— Paulo Dybala (@PauDybala_JR) March 21, 2020

Dybala is a 26-year-old native of Argentina who has played for Juventus since 2015.

Juventus released the following statement regarding Dybala's positive test: "Paulo Dybala has undergone medical tests that revealed a positive result for Coronavirus-COVID19. He has been in voluntary home isolation since Wednesday 11 March. He will continue to be monitored, following the usual regime. He is well and is asymptomatic."

Dybala is the third Juventus player to have a confirmed case of the coronavirus after Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi previously tested positive.

According to CNN, there are over 234,000 reported cases of COVID-19, which have resulted in more than 9,800 deaths worldwide. Italy has been hit especially hard, as its 41,000-plus cases are second-most to China's and its 3,407 deaths are the most of any country.

The coronavirus pandemic led to the suspension of the Serie A season March 9 with Juventus holding a one-point lead over Lazio for first place in the table with 12 games remaining.

Dybala has 13 goals across all competitions for Juventus this season, and he has scored 91 times in 216 career appearances for the club.