Nico Gonzalez is in Turin: the no to Spalletti, the little treasure Juventus want

The story is well known: Atletico made sure the conditions agreed with Juventus (number of appearances in La Liga) for the obligation to buy at €32 million were not met, but would like to have Nico back in the squad, opening fresh talks with Juventus. The gap between the two clubs remains wide: Atletico have offered €20-22 million, while Juventus want at least €28-30 million, encouraged by the strong World Cup the Argentina international winger produced.

Spalletti then entered the picture. He would have welcomed the chance to work with Nico Gonzalez, but when the Juventus manager made an enquiry, the player's stance was clear: he has no desire to give it another go at Juventus after the negative 2024-25 season. The feeling is that it will take until the closing stages of the transfer window before all parties find a solution that suits them: the wishes of the player and Atletico, and Juventus' need to build a nest egg for the incoming market.