Juventus remain keen on signing Genoa midfielder Nicolò Rovella this season. But with his contract coming to a 2021 closure and negotiations set to get underway, things could quickly turn sour for the 18-year-old.
It’s a tender age, 18. But in the footballing world, 18-year-olds can often set the stage alight, despite their adolescence. Remember Wayne Rooney? Bursting onto the scene through his formative years, and of course the countless others who have come out of nowhere, but not all of them prolonging the early hype.
Early hype is the best way to describe Rovella at the moment. He’s just five first-team appearances to his name for Genoa but already he’s being touted with a bright future in the game, which could yet unfold at Juventus.
Andrea Pirlo’s side are notorious for picking up the rising talents in Italian football and with midfielders in-demand for Juve as it stands, a move for Rovella could materialize a lot sooner, and his potential involvements could become more hands-on too.
His contract at Genoa is due to expire in 2021. The club are said to be keen to renew his stay and offer him a professional contract, as to not risk losing him for free next summer. They currently stand 15th in the Serie A table and this season looks as though it could be a struggle, so finances are likely at the forefront of the board’s mind.
As for Juve, they’re slowly getting up to top-speed until their new managerial appointment in Pirlo. The Azzurri legend was handed the job almost immediately after Maurizio Sarri’s sacking after last season and many were excited to see him in the dugout, but not everyone has been all that impressed so far..
Their transfer activity over summer was more subdued than expected and it allowed the likes of Milan to have a blistering start to the campaign, having taken 16 points from their opening six games and making a two-point gap over 2nd-place Sassuolo.
Juve have a much lighter squad than in recent seasons and for their Champions League trip to Ferencvaros tonight, they’ll be without all of Alex Sandro, Merih Demiral and Matthijs de Ligt. Cover across the central areas is fairly thin at the moment then, and so Pirlo might look to January for some reinforcements.
Regarding Rovella, a January move to Juventus would only likely happen if he signs a new contract with Genoa. If he doesn’t, then come January Rovella can open contact talks with any potential suitors, but would have to see out his existing contract before leaving for a new home.
He’s an exciting talent, no doubt. A player with experience already well beyond his years. Perhaps Pirlo seems a bit of his former self in Rovella, and he thinks that he can make one of Italy’s next top stars out of him. It’s an exciting story to keep an eye on, but at 18, all this talk could well end in tears, and time has to be taken by all parties.