Who is Arnaud Kalimuendo: potential Juventus target as Vlahovic’s back-up | OneFootball

Juventus are reportedly monitoring Rennes striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, who had an exciting start to the season with the Ligue 1 outfit and could be among the names on Cristiano Giuntoli’s list for January’s transfer window.

The France U-21 international already worked with the Bianconeri’s coach Thiago Motta at Paris Saint-Germain’s youth ranks and has been playing regularly for Rennes throughout the last two seasons, and could be considered an ideal profile to invest in as Juventus are in search of a back-up for Dusan Vlahovic.

Who is Juventus target Arnaud Kalimuendo: stats and his experience with Thiago Motta

Born in January 2002, Kalimuendo joined PSG at the age of 10 and came through the youth ranks in the following eight years, during which he also played under Thiago Motta in the Under-19 side.

The 22-year-old made his professional debut with the Paris outfit in August 2020, shortly before moving to Lens on loan, where he scored seven goals from 28 matches in his first-ever season in the French top tier.

Although he increased his tally to 12 Ligue 1 goals in 32 games in his second year at the same club, his impressive displays weren’t enough to earn a return to PSG, who sold him to Rennes for a figure around €20m.

Kalimuendo kept proving particularly prolific for his age as he once again bagged seven goals in 30 league appearances for his new club, as well as delivering five assists. Rennes also gave the striker the chance to make his European debut in the Europa League, in which he found his first net during the 2023/2024 season, when he scored 15 goals from 41 matches across all competitions.

The French striker’s brief career was already marked by significant scoring consistency, as further proved by the three goals scored in his first six Ligue 1 outings this season.

Such a factor is fueling Juventus’s interest, as TMW explains that, according to Tuttosport, their Managing Director of Football Cristiano Giuntoli is monitoring Rennes’ youngster, considering the idea of bringing Kalimuendo to the Allianz Stadium on loan to provide Thiago Motta with a reliable back-up for Dusan Vlahovic.