When it was announced that Patrik Schick was passing his medical ahead of a move to Juventus, we thought that was the end of the rumours sending him to the Premier League.
However, there’s been a delay, and the deal still hasn’t been registered, and the likes of Everton (Gazzetta) and Tottenham (Corriere) are still being mentioned in the Italian press.
The reason behind this is still blurry, with some outlets claiming it’s an issue between the two sides, while others, like Gazzetta dello Sport, report it’s down to an underlying medical issue discovered during the tests, and Juventus are waiting for further ones to be done before signing off on the transfer.
Results are expected to arrive on Tuesday, according to the Italian newspaper, and if the all-clear is given, he’ll be a Juventus player.
If it isn’t, then there’s a problem.
Juventus would then be reluctant to spend €30.5m on the Sampdoria striker, and everything could change.
If Schick is told he cannot play for 45-60 days, then the Serie A champions would want the deal to be renegotiated to a loan with a view to buy once he’s better, which Corriere dello Sport claim Sampdoria are reluctant to do.
If the instructions are that he cannot play for longer than 45-60 days, then Juventus are likely to move on, forcing Sampdoria to ask other clubs, like Everton and Tottenham, if they would be interested in taking him.
Corriere dello Sport, in their report, are keen to ensure that Schick’s issue is ‘absolutely resolvable’, meaning he’ll get over it, whatever it is, but it seems Juventus don’t particularly want to wait for him.
Would the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman be more patient, and agree to signing a player who might be out for an unspecified amount of time that looks like to be a minimum of 45 days?
We’re not so sure, but Schick definitely is talented, and with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain (who offered more than Juventus in the first place, per Gazzetta, only for Pavel Nedved to convince the youngster to go to Turin) and Roma also circling, he probably wouldn’t be short on offers.