Juventus: from Brozovic to Bissouma, there is the squad list problem for Locatelli's free-transfer replacement

The standout name, not least because Juventus chased him throughout the summer and still have him in mind, is former Inter man Marcelo Brozovic. The Croatian is also on Lazio's radar and has been without a club since his deal with Al Nassr expired. He is now looking for the next step in his career and a return to Italy remains a possibility.

According to Tuttosport, the other profiles put forward to Juventus are Yves Bissouma, who is without a club after leaving Tottenham, Ismael Bennacer, who became a free agent after leaving AC Milan but is a promised groom for a move to Qatar, and finally Tanguy Ndombele, who previously played in Italy for Napoli and has been without a club since leaving Nice.

Juventus face a much bigger issue with Locatelli. Squad-building has to follow strict and significant criteria, both financially, because the wages for any possible free signing would affect the delicate balance of Juventus's wage bill, which is already under Uefa's microscope, and from a technical and regulatory point of view.

On the regulatory side, the Italian midfielder counted as a "particular" player for Juventus when it came to the lists submitted to Uefa, where he cannot be replaced, and Serie A. Locatelli is in fact a "FIGC trained" player, meaning he developed in the youth sectors of Italian clubs, and he occupies one of the four slots reserved for this type of player.

Juventus can change and update their Serie A list, but to replace Locatelli with a "foreign" player, or rather one not developed in Italian youth academies, such as Brozovic and the other profiles mentioned, they would in fact need to make another cut.

That would mean leaving out a foreign player. After New Year, Khephren Thuram, who has already been excluded, would in any case also have to be brought back into that list.