Juventus to Sign Tottenham Midfielder After Kessié Snub | OneFootball

Juventus came up empty-handed despite chasing after Franck Kessié for months, but they quickly found an alternative in Pape Sarr, striking a deal with Tottenham, Fabrizio Romano reports (via SOSFanta).

The midfielder is joining on an initial loan with a conditional obligation to buy. The package will amount to up to €30M if he’s retained next year. It depends on his appearances and on whether they qualify for a cup. H had been put on the market amid the Spurs overhaul under Roberto De Zerbi. He’s been a regular for the past 3 campaigns, amassing 141 appearances, 11 goals, and 11 assists. The Premier League team signed him from Metz for €17M in 2021.

Juventus turned to Sarr after Kessié rejected their final offer and stunningly joined Atalanta, which came out of the blue to beat them and Roma, bringing him back. He had bloomed with them ten years ago.

The Old Lady proposed a two-year deal with €4.5M to the Ivorian, coming to terms on that front. However, talks stalled over the conditions to trigger an automatic extension and the signing bonuses. Atalanta swooped him, and he inked a longer contract with them.

Our Take on Juventus, Kessié, and Sarr

It’s pretty odd that such a long chase collapsed over details they should have taken care of long ago and that they didn’t find a solution once adding a new midfielder became a necessity because Khephren Thuram will likely miss extended time. It’s a pretty bad look, as he didn’t join an equally big team, but at least they bounced back decently with a youngster with a reasonable price tag that rounds out their midfield just fine trait-wise.