Last year, on August 29th, Juventus announced that they'd decided to sign a young Schalke midfielder, Weston McKennie, on a one year loan deal with an option to buy. That signing, which cost the Bianconeri €4.5 million was groundbreaking. Obviously not for the price paid, but the fact that McKennie became the first American - and fifth overall - to feature in the Italian top flight.
Earlier this year, La Vecchia Signora decided to exercise their option, and in March, Juventus announced that they'd signed the Texan-born midfielder on a permanent basis. This deal, which cost them €18.5 million, plus an estimated €6.5 million in performance-related incentives, was supposed to see the player tied to Allianz Stadium until 2025.
While he has been a solid performer, namely under Andrea Pirlo, he hasn't nailed down a permanent spot in Massimiliano Allegri's starting XI. And, according to reports, Juventus may be looking elsewhere for someone else to fill his position. Since arriving, McKennie has been involved in a bit of controversy, first being suspended by his club for hosting a party in violation of COVID-19 protocol and then being sent home early from the USMNT camp after again reportedly violating COVID-19 regulations.
As per Tuttosport, Juventus have turned their eyes to 21-year-old French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who currently plays his club football for Monaco. The same report claims that McKennie has been on the radar of Tottenham for some time and that the Bianconeri could move to move him on this January in order to raise funds for the acquisition of Tchouameni.
Whether this actually comes to pass naturally remains to be seen, as we are now in early October and the winter transfer window is several months away.
