Juventus are casting a wide net to find the right replacement for Gleison Bremer and are open to unusual solutions too, as they have reportedly added Brazilian defender Leo Ortiz to their shortlist. He transferred from Bragantino to Flamengo for €7M in March, TuttoSport informs.
He possesses an Italian passport, so the Bianconeri can potentially sign him despite having onboarded two extra-EU players already. On the other hand, he’s a regular and has a €30 release clause.
Juventus are unlikely to spend that much for Ortiz or any other defender in January. Still, director Cristiano Giuntoli has been following him since his Napoli days. He also played at Internacional and Sport Recife.
The 28-year-old has 124 Serie A appearances and 47 Paulistao ones under his belt, plus 13 in Copa Libertadores and 14 in Copa Sudamericana. He was called up by Brazil a few times in 2021 and 2022 but didn’t debut.
Our Take on Juventus and Ortiz
It’d be an odd addition given his age and lack of European experience, but they wouldn’t be wrong in targeting a cheap veteran if Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu held their own in the next couple of months. However, the ideal signing would be a young-ish player on loan with an option to buy who could help them for years to come. Jakub Kiwior fits the mold thanks to his versatility, quality, and ties with Thiago Motta. Though, no team convinced Arsenal to let go of him in the summer even though he’s not a centerpiece of their formation.
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