As soon as the season comes to an end, we should start hearing that Juventus are negotiating with Southampton for Carlos Alcaraz.
The midfielder’s loan spell with the Bianconeri is about to expire, and they won’t use the €49.5m clause.
Gazzetta Dello Sport today features a story claiming that it’s actually ‘impossible’ that Juventus will pay the Saints that amount, so a new round of talks is on the way.
The Old Lady’s idea right now is to negotiate for a new loan, but it’s actually ‘not given that Southampton will say yes’.
Alcaraz only made ten appearances for Juventus since joining the club in January, and is still to prove the club he’s worthy.
It always seemed unlikely he’d be able to show all that potential in a few months there, though, so this is a new case where Italian clubs make an offer with a huge buying option, never intending to use it, and English sides bite.
Transfermarkt value the midfielder at €15m, which sounds a lot more realistic, and it’s very likely Southampton will need to demand something closer to that if they want him sold.
As it stands, the loan move hasn’t worked at all for Southampton and there’s no certainty a new one would either.
