Carnevali: ‘Juventus cannot go for Brahim Diaz, Kessie or Theo Hernandez’ | OneFootball

Juventus director Giovanni Carnevali warns Franck Kessie, Brahim Diaz and Theo Hernandez ‘cannot be part of the plan at this moment,’ but they’re ‘waiting’ for Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa.

The Bianconeri are rebuilding after a traumatic season that saw them finish sixth in Serie A, missing out on the Champions League to qualify for the Europa League.

That hit their finances hard and affects the strategy going forward, so new director Carnevali urged fans not to listen to the media rumours of big names returning to Serie A for them.

Juventus shrug off big name rumours

Jeff Ekhator and director Giovanni Carnevali (juventus.com)

Sport Mediaset asked specifically about the reports of approaches for Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz, ex-Milan left-back Theo Hernandez, and free agent Kessie.

“There is no truth to them, because these are very important players, but if we analyse their costs and values, they cannot be part of the plan at this moment for the construction of this squad,” replied Carnevali.

While Kessie would be a free agent, he still commands significant commission fees for his entourage, as well as a high salary demand.

TORONTO, ONTARIO – JUNE 20: Franck Kessie #8 of Cote d’Ivoire celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Germany and Cote D’Ivoire at Toronto Stadium on June 20, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

“We have various negotiations in progress, it takes time to reflect, because we don’t want to be frenetic, the market changes every day,” added Carnevali.

“Just look at Dibu Martinez, who is playing at the World Cup, so we need to wait for that to play out. There are many situations, a club like Juventus has to be open on various different fronts and pay attention to what can happen.”

It has been reported by multiple sources that Martinez is eager to come to Juventus after a meeting where the club plans were presented, but agreeing a transfer fee with Aston Villa is proving to be more difficult.

There can be no real progress until his World Cup campaign has concluded, and Argentina are preparing to face Switzerland in the quarter-final this weekend.