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The Old Lady has made their intentions known: They want to win the biggest competition in all of Europe - The UEFA Champions League.
Juventus have had a very busy transfer window, having bought, sold, and released more than 20 players in total. In addition to the playing staff, the Italian giants have brought Maurizio Sarri and his Sarri-ball philosophy to Turin.
The last time the Bianconeri won the Champions League, their new star signing Matthijs de Ligt was not yet born. Ever since 1996, they have failed to achieve those heights again, and it has been a stain on the illustrious history of the mega-club.
Perhaps this will be the season the Juventini will reintroduce Europe's most coveted football trophy to their cabinet again. Pundits and fans alike have marveled at how much the Turin giants have invested into bringing in the best of players, especially Cristiano Ronaldo. Only time will tell just how effective these decisions are.
Let's do a review of Juventus' extra-busy summer transfer window.
#4 Goalkeepers
41-year-old Gianluigi Buffon made the decision not to renew his contract with the Parisians after a year of playing in France. While well past his prime, Buffon remains a world-class goalkeeper who has been a major part of Juventus' successes in the last decade. While he may play second fiddle to Wojciech Szczesny, his time with the Bianconeri is definitely not over.
Emil Audero finished the season with fellow Serie A team Sampdoria where he went on loan. The 22-year-old goalkeeper received a lot of game time with his loan club, garnering 36 appearances last season. Sampdoria decided to snap up the youngster from Juventus for €20 million and he has already joined up with his new teammates.
#3 Defenders
The Bianconeri made a surprising move to capture former Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt in a transfer saga that included nearly all the top ten clubs in Europe.
De Ligt has cost the club upwards of €85 million, thereby cementing the 19-year-old's position in the starting XI. Captaining his Ajax squad to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and participating in the Netherlands' run to the finals of the Nations Cup, de Ligt quickly became a force to be reckoned with.
The Juventini would be proud to have won the race in bringing in one of the best defenders in the world.
De Ligt aside, the Italian giants successfully brought in three more defenders, all under the age of 22.
Centre-back Cristian Romero was signed from Genoa for €26 million. The 21-year-old started 27 games for Genoa last season, winning more than two aerial duels in each match. Most likely due to the very limited game time young Romero would receive, Juventus have sent him back on loan to his former club for a year.
Young left-back Luca Pellegrini was brought in from rival club AS Roma for €22 million. The 19-year-old played 16 league games for Roma, chipping in with two assists. He also gained some Champions League experience, appearing twice last season.
Leonardo Spinazzola went the other way, joining Pellegrini's former teammates at AS Roma, with Juventus receiving nearly €30 million. The 26-year-old left-back has not had any game time in Turin, having gone on loan since he entered Juventus' senior team.
Merih Demiral was yet another defender who joined the Turin giants on a permanent contract. Sold for just over €18 million by Sassuolo, the Turk scored two Serie A goals last season. It is left to see whether the 21-year-old will get any game time under Maurizio Sarri.
Other defenders like Luca Marrone and Rogerio were sent on loan last term, and their loan clubs have bought them from Juventus. Martin Caceres finished off his loan term in Turin and has been released on a free transfer by his own club Lazio.
Luca Barlocco has also been released by Juventus. Most notably, Andrea Barzagli retired from football after spending eight years with the Bianconeri, and it's safe to say that de Ligt is set to replace him.
#2 Midfielders
Adrien Rabiot did not renew his contract with PSG. While he was set to become a free agent once the transfer season began, Juventus were quick to snap up the 24-year-old Frenchman. He was notably suspended for two weeks by PSG for what seemed like celebrating the Champions League loss to Manchester United.
He ended up frozen out of the first team, with only 14 appearances in Ligue 1 last season. Rabiot would be glad to have joined the Italian giants, and will certainly push to fight for a starting place in the first team.
Aaron Ramsey, another world-class midfielder, was unable to come to terms with Arsenal on a new contract. He was also snapped up quickly by the Bianconeri who had kept their eyes on Ramsey's contract dealings with the North London club. Making 35 appearances for the Gunners last season, it's safe to say he had a more amicable exit than Rabiot.
26-year-old Stefano Sturaro signed a permanent contract returning him to his childhood club Genoa. Genoa sold him to the Juventini in 2014, but having gone on loan every season, Sturaro failed to impress enough to gain a spot in the starting XI at Turin. Last term, he joined Genoa on loan and the club decided to make his loan permanent with just over €16 million.
#1 Forwards
Most of the Bianconeri's forwards are either returning from a loan spell, getting sold, or both in some cases. Notably, the Italian giants have not bought a single forward this transfer window.
The biggest returnee would be 31-year-old Gonzalo Higuain, who spent half of last season at Chelsea with his former manager Maurizio Sarri. While the duo have left Stamford Bridge, headed for Turin, Higuain did not play up to expectations during his Chelsea spell, and Sarri may have to sideline him. There also remains a possibility that the Argentine centre-forward could be sold or sent on loan if he doesn't impress.
24-year-old Marko Pjaca is another returning player who had spent last season at Fiorentina. Mainly due to his preferred position on the left-wing, it is unlikely he will get any playing time, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo. While Ronaldo may be used as a centre-forward, Sarri has a 4-3-3 formation as part of his philosophy, and he will likely keep Ronaldo on the left. Pjaca may end up going out on loan again this season or getting sold.
The highly talented Moise Kean has sealed a move to Everton, with officials at Goodison Park announcing his arrival only hours ago. While Kean is just 19-years-old, he made 13 Serie A appearances last season, scoring six goals. Kean has also capped for the Italian National Team. Fans of Everton and the Premier League as a whole will be excited witnesses this season to the talent and growth of the €40 million signing.
Players like Andrea Favilli, Alberto Cerri, Riccardo Orsolini, and Leonardo Mancuso have joined other clubs after coming back from loan last term. Stefano Padovan has been released on a free transfer by the Bianconeri and has joined Serie C team Imolese.
