Report: Benfica, Porto interested in signing Mattia Perin

Mattia Perin might as well be Juventus’ walking definition of how things can change over the course of one summer transfer window to the next.

It was the beginning of the June of 2018 when Perin left Genoa for Juventus, making the big leap to the best club in Italy in hopes of playing a significant role in Turin and getting serious Champions League minutes for the first time in his career. As the season went on and Wojciech Szczesny’s stranglehold on Juventus’ starting goalkeeper position got more and more firm, it became pretty clear that there was going to be no competition for playing time in goal.

And now, with Gianluigi Buffon back in Turin after a shocking return to Juventus, Perin’s role at the club he was so excited to join all of 13 months ago is now as clear as ever — and that’s not necessarily a good thing.

According to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, Perin isn’t lacking in potential landing spots as to where his next club may be. While Roma seemed like a logical destination domestically, they’ve gone out and spend a whole lot of money on Pau Lopez to be their new starting goalkeeper. So now, with options in Italy not exactly all that fruitful at the moment, Perin is attracting interest from Portuguese rivals Benfica and Porto, with the former “strongly interested” and ahead of the latter in terms of a potential transfer.

Even before Buffon made his return earlier this month, the likelihood of Perin going elsewhere this summer seemed relatively strong. It is, of course, going to be a season where there will be a major tournament on the national team level, with Perin obviously on the outside looking in of Italy’s roster currently. And knowing that there’s a whole host of goalkeepers now in the mix for a spot on Roberto Mancini’s squad behind presumptive starter Gianluigi Donnarumma, Perin’s once-solid spot for a call-up is anything but that now.

It’s not going to help sitting on the bench, either — with or without Buffon around.

Perin, who only appeared in nine Serie A games last season and is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery he underwent in late April, has also reported attracted interest of Newcastle this summer. The goal is obviously to get regular first team minutes for Perin, who turns 27 years old in the middle of November. And, with regular minutes in tow, the possibility of getting back into good stand with Mancini and the national team picture is what he hopes will follow as he enters the prime of his career.

There is no word on whether Perin’s departure will be on loan with an option to buy or a straight sale situation, something that would obviously be a nice little injection of cash for a team that’s going to be spending nine figures alone on center backs this summer once a certain Dutch teenager arrives and signs on. Juventus signed Perin for €12 million plus another €3 million in potential bonuses last June.