Two factors hampering Juventus attempts to sign Matt O’Riley from Brighton | OneFootball

Juventus appear set to miss out on Matt O’Riley after failing to strike an agreement with Brighton for the player’s transfer.

The Bianconeri have been searching the market for a new midfielder since the start of the summer, but have found little joy thus far.

After realising that Sandro Tonali’s signing is a mere pipe dream and that Sporting CP are seeking a king’s ransom for Morten Hojlund, they turned to O’Riley who has a more affordable price. However, after weeks of negotiations, the Serie A giants haven’t been able to find a breakthrough on this front.

Matt O’Riley no longer expected to join Juventus

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via JuventusNews24, the Bianconeri’s O’Riley chase has been impeded by two main factors.

First, Juventus have been trying to sign the Denmark international on loan with an option to buy, while they’re also willing to add an obligation. On the other hand, the Premier League boys would like to cash in on the 24-year-old immediately. In other words, the Seagulls want a permanent transfer this summer or nothing.

Second, despite sending Douglas Luiz to Nottingham Forest, Juventus must still offload additional players to finance the operation. Dusan Vlahovic and Nico Gonzalez remain the main candidates.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Why Juventus could keep their midfield intact

At this stage, the pink newspaper believes that Juve’s chances of landing O’Riley are shrinking by the hour. Hence, barring any late twists, the deal is unlikely to materialise.

Nevertheless, Igor Tudor perhaps wouldn’t mind keeping his midfield department intact, as he appears increasingly convinced by Teun Koopmeiners in a deeper role.

The department also includes Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie and the currently-injured Fabio Miretti. Hence, the manager already has five players vying for two starting spots.