Juventus in pole position to sign young Italian international | OneFootball

Juventus are reportedly leading the race for the services of young Hellas Verona defender Diego Coppola.

The Bianconeri could be looking to make a few additions to their backline this summer, especially if they were to appoint a manager who deploys a three-man backline, or simply hand Igor Tudor a permanent role.

The Serie A giants have an obligation to buy Lloyd Kelly from Newcastle United, and they have long decided to exercise their option to buy Pierre Kalulu from Milan.

On the other hand, Renato Veiga could prove too pricey for Juventus, with Chelsea reportedly requesting a figure in the region of €50 million to part ways with the Portuguese centre-back.

Therefore, the Old Lady will turn to alternative solutions, and Coppola appears to be on the shortlist.

Juventus keen to sign Diego Coppola

(Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)

According to several sources, including L’Arena (via JuventusNews24), the Bianconeri are ahead of the competition in the race for the 21-year-old’s services.

The report claims that the talks between the parties are currently underway. Juventus would like to finalise the operation at the beginning of June so they can add the player to their FIFA Club World Cup squad.

The source believes the operation could cost Juventus a transfer fee in the region of €15 million (€12M as a fixed fee plus €3M in add-ons).

Diego Coppola’s rise to the scene

Coppola is a youth product of Verona who rose through the club’s ranks to become a permanent member of the first team since January 2022.

This season, the Italian managed to take his game up a notch, with his impressive displays at the back helping the Gialloblu avoid relegation to Serie B. He made 34 appearances in the top flight this term, scoring a couple of goals in the process.

The young man’s exploits even attracted the attention of Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti who handed him a call-up for the two upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Moldova. So it remains to be seen if he’ll earn his senior international debut in the coming weeks.