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As it currently stands, Juventus has two Germans on its roster, Sami Khedira and Benedikt Howedes. We know what Brother Sami brings to the team, we’re still waiting for the debut of Howedes, who has been battling injuries ever since he signed on loan this past summer.
Based on what Beppe Marotta is telling us, that German contingent could very well get bigger.
Juventus’ director general has confirmed that the club is interested in signing German midfielders Emre Can (Liverpool) and Leon Goretzka (Schalke) on free transfers maybe as early as the January transfer window. And if you know anything about how Marotta operates, then signing talented players on free transfers when they are on the final stages of their current contracts is one of the many things he excels at when it comes to constructing a roster for the next season.
"Emre Can and Leon Goretzka are two players with expiring contracts and I don’t hide the fact that we are following them both, like many other teams" while admitting: The will of the players will be decisive.”
(Source: Sports Illustrated)
SIGN THE GERMANS. SIGN ALL THE GERMANS.
Okay, so Juventus may not sign all of them. That would mean either the Bundesliga folded up shop or somebody hacked the transfer database at Serie A headquarters and turned it into a real-life save of Football Manager.
But, based on what we saw go on during the summer, Juventus continuing its pursuit of Can, 23, is nothing that should come as a surprise. They’ve been linked to him for months now, with the “Should Juve try to sign him now or try and get him on a free?” debate pretty much a constant whenever Can’s name was mentioned.
Goretzka, 22, hasn’t been linked to Juventus nearly as much as Can has, but his name has been thrown out there before. On top of not even hitting his mid-20s yet, the fact that he will be out of contract at such a young age makes it quite the interesting kind of potential move. Juventus and Schalke have obviously done business in recent months with the Howedes loan-with-option-to-buy deal, so it’s not like Marotta and Co. aren’t aware of what other talent is on the roster.
Let’s not forget, Beppe gonna Beppe. And, in this case, it’s going after a pair of young German midfielders who will be available on a free transfer next summer.