Report: Neto to sign with Juventus this week, Marco Storari to ink contract extension

While one of their rumored — and now confirmed — free transfers seems to be in warp speed right now, the same can't be said about the long and drawn out process that has been Juventus' courtship Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto. It's been a long time since we've had any kind of Neto update that includes something other than "He's in the process of deciding. Juve are in the lead, but there are a few other clubs that are interested in signing the Brazilian."

Nope, here's something that actually makes it look like Juventus' squad will have a different Brazilian goalkeeper on it next season. And a much better one, too. (Sans unibrow!) Read on:

After landing Dybala and giving Khedira a medical, Juventus will also welcome Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto. The Bianconeri reached an agreement with him months ago, and Neto is expected to sign the contract in the next few days. He'll compete with Storari, who is also expected to sign an extension, to be Buffon's backup. Before joining Juventus, Neto will play for Brazil in the Copa America after Dunga selected him to replace the injured Diego Alves.

(Source: Gianluca Di Marzio)

Of course, the secondary part of this is that Marco Storari, Juventus' understudy to Buffon for the last five seasons and arguably one of the best backups Europe has to offer, will be re-signing with the club for another season. That means Juventus will essentially be swapping out Neto for Rubinho, one Brazilian for another, and a group of goalkeepers that will now have three players who could start for just about any club in Italy.

We know who the starter will be as long as God stays healthy going forward as he takes another step forward toward playing the game he's still so damn good at in his late-30s. That means the real competition starts at the No. 2 goalkeeper spot, where Storari is the incumbent and Neto will be the new kid on the block. Who wins? Will they have to do a battle royale on the streets of Turin? Both of those are legitimate questions at this point in time.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how it all shakes out when it comes to who is the backup goalkeeper behind Buffon and who is the third-choice option. That's a decision for Max Allegri, not any of us here on the internet. But to get Neto for free and Storari to sign on for another year, I think this summer transfer window keeps getting and better — and it hasn't even officially opened up yet. That's wonderful.