Juventus outcast Daniele Rugani reportedly has to lower his wages if he’s to leave Turin in search of regular first-team action elsewhere. According to Calciomercato, the Italians are keen to get rid of the underperforming defender’s salary, but it’s up to the player.
Rugani signed for Juventus as a teenager in 2013, joining the club’s youth ranks from Empoli. Tipped for Giorgio Chiellini’s long-term successor in Turin, the Italian center-back had long been kept in high esteem by the Bianconeri hierarchy. However, he has done next to nothing to live up to expectations.
Juventus even gave him a lucrative long-term contract in 2019, hoping to turn him into a defensive cornerstone after Chiellini’s departure. That’s a decision the record-time Serie A champions would come to regret after almost four years.
After a couple of ill-fated loan spells at Cagliari and Rennes, it’s become clear Rugani is not the caliber Juventus had hoped for, forcing the club to contemplate his sale. But while the 28-year-old has occasionally drawn interest from some Serie A sides, Massimiliano Allegri has refused to cut him loose.
Up until this point. Juventus are now desperate to offload Rugani’s hefty wages. But they’ll need the defender’s help to break a fateful marriage. The Italian’s contract runs until 2024, and he’d have to give up some portion of his earnings to facilitate his exit.
Rugani has made only two Serie A appearances this season. Not even Gleison Bremer’s rough adaptation period helped him re-establish himself at the Allianz Stadium. The break-up is close, yet a lack of suitors could make his departure difficult this winter.