Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz is set to join Juventus on loan until the end of the season, in a deal that will include a £42m buy option for the Italian giants.
That’s according to Gianluca di Marzio, who reports that a loan deal has now been struck which will see Juventus pay an initial £3.2m to sign the youngster until the end of the season.
That deal will include an option for Juventus to sign the Argentine permanently in the summer for £42m, should the move prove to be a successful one.
Alcaraz had been linked with a move away from Southampton throughout this month, with sides in the Premier League thought to be keen but never stepping forward and making an official bid to get him from Southampton.
Instead, it is Juventus who have done so, making a surprise move last night as they look to bolster their options for the remainder of the season.
A loan deal has now been struck and could become a permanent one in the summer, netting Southampton a significant profit if it does.
The likelihood of that happening, though, will be slim. £42m is a lot to consider paying for Alcaraz at this point and Juventus certainly don’t have the funds to do so.
The only scenario in which they would be tempted into such a move is if Alcaraz proved to be an absolute world beater, Messi mark two player in Serie A in the coming months, and even then, they’d probably be asking for a discount because it’s just the way the Italian sides operate in the market.
Even when a clause looks good value, and a player performs well, it is simply rarely paid to an English club, with the amounts more for show than anything else.
That’s something for Southampton to keep in mind as the summer approaches.
