COMO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 07: Randal Kolo Muani of Juventus celebrates after scoring their team’s first … [+]
Juventus will be hoping to keep Paris Saint-Germain star Randal Kolo Muani at the end of the season.
The Bianconeri signed the Frenchman on a six-month loan at the end of the winter transfer window, and the 26-year-old has hit the ground running in Turin.
Kolo Muani has scored five goals in four Serie A games, and played a pivotal role for the winner last Sunday against Inter in the Derby d’Italia in at the Allianz Stadium.
Kolo Muani was struggling for game time in the French capital, and had been left out of the starting XI by PSG boss Luis Enrique since the beginning of the season.
With the former Barcelona and Roma boss signing a new contract to remain in Paris through to 2027, it appears likely that Juventus will try to sign Kolo Muani again for the entirety of 2025-26.
Kolo Muani netted on his debut for Juventus in the 2-1 defeat to Napoli in late January.
Since then, he hit a brace against Empoli, and hit another double against Como.
His role in the 1-0 win over Inter saw the striker produce a Zinedine Zidane-esque spin on the edge of the box and push the ball out to Francisco Conceicao, who slotted the ball past Yann Sommer to give Juventus the lead.
The result was a massive one for Thiago Motta, who has been under pressure in recent weeks amid a string of draws that saw The Old Lady tumble down the Serie A table to a certain degree.
Juve now sit fourth in the table, level on points with Lazio but ahead due to a superior head-to-head record.
With $200m spent on players in the summer transfer window, Motta is under increasing scrutiny to at least qualify for the Champions League against next summer, with the riches that come from playing in the competition.
So far this season, Juve have earned around $65m, and a win against PSV Eindhoven this week would see that jump to around $77m.
Kolo Muani’s run in the side has seen Juve win three consecutive games in Serie A for the first time this season, and end the string of draws the club have accumulated.
Once the club that embodied winning in Italy, Juve have drawn some 13 league games, an astonishing record, but the arrival of Kolo Muani has seen Juve become more lethhal in front of goal.
His presence, and success, also likely means the end for Dusan Vlahovic at the club. Vlahovic has struggled this season under Motta, with the striker lacking the characteristics of the Frenchman.
An offer from the Premier League is likely in the offing for the Serb, who Juve paid $80m for back in the winter window of 2022.
Vlahovic has got 13 goals in all competitions for Juve, but hasn’t started a league game since before Christmas.
Should Kolo Muani stay in Turin next season, then Vlahovic is as good as gone, with the Serb the highest-paid player in the league, earning around $13m-per-season net with the club.
Vlahovic has scored 13 goals in all competitions for Juve this season.
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