Not only Antonio Silva – Juventus aiming to sign another defender in January

Transfer News

December 19, 2024 - 9:00 am

Juventus are reportedly gunning to sign not one, but two defenders in January, albeit through different formulas.

Thiago Motta has been left with a depleted backline following the ACL injuries of Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal. The Brazilian centre-back and the Colombian left-back are expected to remain on the sidelines until the end of the season.

In recent months, the Bianconeri have been linked with a plethora of possible candidates for the role, and Antonio Silva has now emerged as a primary candidate for the role.

The 21-year-old has lost his starting berth at Benfica following the appointment of Bruno Lage who prefers Tomas Araujo and Nicolas Otamendi at the heart of the backline.

Therefore, the young Portuguese is seemingly eager to league Lisbon as soon as possible, and his agent Jorge Mendes could mastermind a transfer to Turin thanks to his excellent rapport with the Juventus management.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese, the Bianconeri will be hoping to lure Silva on an initial loan deal. However, the source believes Motta is more enticed by another profile, namely David Hancko.

The 27-year-old is a Slovakian defender who has been plying his trade at Feyenoord since 2022. He also had a previous experience in Serie A, particularly at Fiorentina. He can also play as a full-back when required, so the club believes he can be the long-term heir of Danilo.

However, the Dutch club isn’t open to letting Hancko leave on loan, so Juventus would have to splash circa 25 million euros if they wish to secure his services in the middle of the season.

Therefore, Albanese believes this deal could only become plausible if the Italian giants were to sacrifice one of their own players next month, with Nicolo Fagioli considered the most likely solution on this front due to his dwindling status at Motta’s court.

Therefore, the report expects Juventus to try to sign Silva regardless of how their pursuit of Hancko pans out, but signing both would be the ultimate objective.