Juventus have reportedly earmarked Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes as a replacement for injury-troubled Arthur Melo. As per La Reppublica, the Serie A giants are entertaining the prospect of bringing the Argentine on a season-long loan.
Arthur underwent surgery to resolve an injury that has been dragging on since February and will spend the next three months on the sidelines. With the Brazilian playmaker facing a lengthy spell out of the pitch, Juventus have to add a new midfielder to fill in the gaps. Despite his turbulent maiden Serie A campaign, the 24-year-old is one of the most technically gifted players in Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.
The Bianconeri want to make sure that Arthur’s absence won’t be felt and are already scouring the market for potential replacements. Paredes has caught the eye of Juventus as they also continue to chase Sassuolo prodigy, Manuel Locatelli. The pair is not mutually exclusive, though, with the signing of one unlikely to affect another.
Paredes swapped Zenit St Petersburg for the Parc des Princes in January 2019 for a fee of €40million, having played for Empoli and Roma in Serie A beforehand. The deep-lying playmaker has been one of PSG’s indispensable first-team stars over the past couple of seasons, accruing 36 competitive appearances back in 2020/21.
However, Georginio Wijnaldum’s arrival from Liverpool could throw Paredes’ future in Paris into a corridor of doubt. The Dutchman joined PSG on a free transfer earlier in the summer, carrying a reputation as one of the finest midfielders in Europe’s top-five leagues.
Juventus hope that Wijnaldum’s signing could sway PSG into accepting their loan bid for Paredes. It’s still uncertain whether Mauricio Pochettino wants to renounce one of his most consistent performers following a torrid first half-season in charge.