Juventus have placed Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu on their shortlist as they consider an alternative to Zion Suzuki, with their attempts to sign the Parma goalkeeper proving increasingly complicated.
The Italian club have yet to concede a goal during pre-season, recording clean sheets against Basel, Nice, Standard Liege and Chelsea. Despite that defensive record, they have still not settled on who will be their first-choice goalkeeper.
Michele Di Gregorio is no longer part of Luciano Spalletti’s plans and has been deemed surplus to requirements. Spalletti also has reservations about Guglielmo Vicario, questioning why Tottenham would allow the goalkeeper to leave, while making clear that Suzuki is his preferred option.
However, a move for Suzuki appears dependent on a chain of negotiations involving Paris St-Germain and Parma.
Juventus would need Paris St-Germain to reach an agreement with Parma before attempting to take the Japan international to Turin on loan. Such an arrangement could appeal to all parties, including Suzuki, who is reportedly unconvinced about making a permanent commitment to Paris St-Germain because of the competition for places there.
Paris St-Germain are also pursuing Suzuki, meaning Juventus’ hopes of securing him will depend on the French club’s ability to complete its own deal with Parma first.
The possibility of signing Lucas Chevalier, which had been considered during negotiations involving Randal Kolo Muani, has lost momentum.
Atubolu has therefore become an increasingly attractive option, although Juventus currently regard him as a contingency rather than their main target.
The Freiburg goalkeeper reached the Europa League final last season and has developed a reputation as an accomplished penalty-stopper. He is out of contract and, according to Fabrizio Romano, has put all alternatives to Juventus on hold while waiting to see whether an opportunity becomes available in Turin.
That stance gives Juventus an option if their pursuit of Suzuki fails to progress, although the club are still prioritising the Japanese goalkeeper for now. Atubolu remains under close consideration as the Serie A side continue to search for a settled number one after an unbeaten pre-season defensive run that has not yet resolved their goalkeeping uncertainty.
