After dominating the Serie-A for the most part of the last decade, Juventus have failed to finish even in the top three in the last two terms.
This time around, they had a poor start to their campaign. The Bianconeri have won only five out of the first eleven matches. With nineteen points they are currently in the eighth position in the table. Their record in the European championship has been even poor.
Juventus have lost three of their first four matches in the UEFA Champions League. They are on the verge of getting knocked out of the UCL. Now Juventus management know their situation very well. They are looking to strengthen many positions ahead of the next summer. One of them being the left-back.
Brazilian left-back Alex Sandro is in the final year of his contract. He is past his prime and is looking to leave the club at the end of the season. So to replace him, Juventus have already identified two options.
Two Spanish Left-Backs on Juventus Radar
According to a report from the La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Buanconeri have targetted two Spanish left-backs for the next season.
The first one on the list is Alex Grimaldo. Rising from the academy of Barcelona, Grimaldo played four seasons for Barcelona’s reserve team.
He failed to enter the first-team setup of Barcelona and joined the Portuguese club Benfica in 2016. Here, however, he cemented his spot as a starter. Grimaldo has won 3 Primeira Liga titles, 1 Taca de Portugal title, 1 Taca da Liga title, and 3 Supertaca Candido de Oliveira titles.
Now his contract is going to expire at the end of the season. So the 27-year-old left-back will be available for free and is a great option for the Bianconeri.
Grimaldo and Benfica are part of Juventus’ Champions League group. They have already defeated Juventus once this season and now is once again going to face them in the upcoming week.
Apart from Grimaldo, another name that is on Juventus’s list is Alfonso Pedraza. Coming up from the academy of Villarreal, Pedraza spent the earlier part of his career on various loan spells.
Finally, in the 2020/21 season, he established himself in the Villarreal setup. Pedraza has already made over 100 appearances for the yellow submarines.
He has a big contract with Villarreal that will end in 2026. So to acquire him, Juventus will have to pay a good amount of transfer money. But the fullback for sure can give a good boost to the Bianconeri squad.
