Juventus Take an Interest in Sunderland Midfielder | OneFootball

Juventus are planning to add a starting-caliber midfielder in January to help Luciano Spalletti transition to a 4-3-3 tactic, and Granit Xhaka has returned on their radar after they passed on him last summer, TuttoSport informs.

The Swiss talisman was linked to most top Serie A outfits during the past window. Bayer Leverkusen resisted for a while, but they eventually gave in to his request to leave, accepting a €15M offer from Sunderland. He has scored once and provided 3 assists in 11 matches in his Premier League return.

The Black Cats are in fourth place, but they might let Xhaka go if he asks out and Juventus or other top teams come calling. The suitors would have to spend more than last summer’s fee to get him, though.

Spalletti has been working on the new formation with a depleted squad during the summer. Teun Koopmeiners could continue playing as a defender even in a four-man line. The manager is not a big fan of Manuel Locatelli, but he’ll have to make do in the ‘regista’ role, while Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie are tailor-made to play as box-to-box.

Our Take on Juventus and Xhaka

While he’d be the type of player and leader they need, it’s hard to imagine he’ll depart so soon after transferring and that the Bianconeri will be willing to spend that much for a veteran. It seems an improbable deal, unless he hasn’t settled in for whatever reason.

The tactical switch would be tough to sustain without moving Koopmeiners back, as they’d have no depth in the midfield. Their boss might have to wait until January to do it consistently. All in all, the hybrid formation used in the last couple of games wasn’t too shabby.