New headache for Juventus as their loaned-out defender is expected to return | OneFootball

Juventus have another issue to deal with in the summer, as Tiago Djalo is no longer expected to dwell at Porto beyond the current campaign.

The Portuguese joined the club’s ranks in January 2024 following an interesting tug-of-war with Inter. The Bianconeri only paid around 3.5 million euros to secure the defender’s services, as his contract with Lille was set the expire six months later. Moreover, he was still nursing an ACL injury at the time.

The 24-year-old only managed to make a single appearance for the Bianconeri in the previous season, coming on the last day of the campaign.

In pre-season, Thiago Motta initially included him in his plans, but then dropped him following a disappointing display in the friendly against Nuremberg. He ended up sealing a loan move to Porto.

While the Dragao don’t have an option to buy the player, it is believed that Juventus would be happy to facilitate the player’s permanent transfer and thus take him off the books while registering a small capital gain.

But according to Mercado Azul via JuventusNews24, the Portuguese giants aren’t interested in keeping the former Sporting CP player who isn’t part of their long-term project.

(Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

Djalo only made 17 appearances for Porto this term across all competitions, so he hasn’t been a regular starter in Martín Anselmi’s starting lineup.

Therefore, the source expects the defender to return to Juventus in the summer, who, in turn, will try to find him a new club, as he’s unlikely to be reinstated in the club’s plans, regardless of the identity of the manager.

The Bianconeri have the obligation to redeem Lloyd Kelly from Newcastle United and have also decided to exercise their option to buy Pierre Kalulu from Milan.

Moreover, they could try to strike a new agreement with Chelsea to keep Renato Veiga in Turin, while David Hancko remains at the top of their shortlist.