The top Serie A clubs are jostling for position over the summer, with the transfer market heating up and it looks like Igor Tudor’s Juventus are moving on of their main targets forward.
The Old Lady are back from the Club World Cup, having bowed out at the Round of 16 stage, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid. And with the new campaign just five weeks away, Juventus look like adding another piece to their jigsaw, as Tudor aims to better last season’s fourth-placed finish. Twenty six-year old Denmark international Morten Hjulmand looks likely to be in Turin before too long after he agreed to a move from Portuguese double winning Sporting Lisbon.
He has made 96 appearances since joining from Italian side Lecce two years ago and has been named in the Primeira Team of the Season in both 2024 and 2025. The defensive midfielder has a whopping release clause of 80m Euros but there does appear to be some wiggle room, with Hjulmand’s agent pushing for a much lower figure and the club is said to be willing to engage with offers in excess of 50m Euros.
Juventus had been looking at Spurs’ midfielder Yves Bissouma but bosses at the Turin giants see Hjulmand as a better fit for the club, as a number six with great poise and the ability to control the pace of the game. And the good news for I Bianconeri is that the Dane has turned down an approach from his former boss Ruben Amorin, now at Manchester United, and agreed personal terms with Juventus.
There is still work to be done on the deal with Sporting but, with Juve wingback Alberto Costa moving the other way, negotiations could move on quite quickly.
Osimhen is on his way
The protracted saga of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has, at long last, been concluded as Napoli have completed the sale of their want-away star to Galatasaray at a cost of 75m Euros with 40m paid up front. And the 2025 Scudetto winners have inserted a clause precluding a return to Serie A within two seasons.
The 26-year-old was hugely instrumental in Napoli’s 2023 Scudetto and has scored 65 goals in 108 appearances for I Partenopei since his arrival in 2020. But after falling out with the club, he moved to the Turkish giants on loan last season where he scored 26 goals in 30 games as Galatasaray won their domestic title. And, after speculation linking him with a host of clubs across Europe, Osimhen has found a permanent home in Turkey, a move which seemingly suits all three parties.
As my SBOTOP colleague Jordan writes, Napoli are reloading after their stunning 2025 triumph, bringing in Kevin De Bruyne at the start of the window, and the pre-season Serie A 2025 betting odds have installed them as favourites. It looks like the Naples club is doing good business.
Roma up their bid for Wesley
In other Serie A 2025 news, new Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini has been busy in the market this week and I Giallorossi are closing in on two targets, opening their wallet to meet the price needed to lure Flamengo right back Wesley Franca. The 21 year old is said to be keen to move to Rome and the club has responded by upping their original offer of 22m Euros to 25m plus add-ons, and that may be enough to tempt the Brazilian side to do a deal. Wesley is a bright prospect with two full Selecao caps to his name already and he would be a coup for Roma, but the Serie A club, which finished fifth last season is widening its net.
Hellas Verona centre back Daniele Ghilardi is in Roma’s sights, but I Giallorossi may have to move quickly as La Liga big hitters Real Betis are also tracking the 22-year-old who has been a regular for the Azzurri U21 team. Betis have been reported in the Spanish press to have made a bid, but it seems Roma have bettered that and Ghilardi could soon be on his way to the Stadio Olimpico.
These are interesting times at Roma where their new manager, so famed for the attacking football his teams played at Atalanta, looks to be strengthening at the back. But Gasperini always knows how to score goals so it may be that he is looking to take a balanced approach to his top four assault at Roma. Juventus and Napoli will back their chances of a top four place at least and the two Milan clubs will be hard to shift…and then there is always Atalanta… so Gasperini certainly has his work cut out.
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