Between Juventus and Karim Adeyemi, there stands a yellow wall. This wall is built by Borussia Dortmund, who are asking for only “irrefutable” offers for the 22-year-old German forward, evaluating him at around €45-50 million. Instead of trying to tear down this wall, Juventus is exploring creative ways to navigate around it. The club’s technical director, Cristiano Giuntoli, recently made a trip to Munich to meet with Adeyemi and is eager to test Dortmund’s willingness to negotiate with an initial proposal. This move aims to gauge their response and the potential for further discussions before the summer transfer window closes on August 30.
Simultaneously, Juventus is also exploring the possibility of acquiring Galeno from Porto at a discounted rate, given Porto’s need to sell players to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play regulations. Although Adeyemi and Galeno are not direct replacements, they offer alternative options for Juventus. The two clubs, Dortmund and Porto, have never been so connected as they are now, thanks to Juventus’s intent to ramp up their pursuit of wingers following the departure of Matias Soulé, who has joined Roma, and the potential exit of Federico Chiesa, whose contract expires in 2025.
Thiago Motta is particularly fond of Galeno, who holds both Brazilian and Portuguese passports. However, Adeyemi, being younger and versatile, can play as a secondary striker or backup for Dusan Vlahovic, similar to how he performed during his time at Salzburg when he scored 19 goals in the 2021-22 season. Giuntoli remains focused on balancing financial considerations with technical needs. The competition between Adeyemi and Galeno will ultimately depend on two key factors: how much Juventus can raise from potential player sales, including Chiesa, Kostic, Rugani, and McKennie, and how much they can negotiate Dortmund and Porto down from their initial asking prices.
Both Adeyemi and Galeno have already expressed their willingness to join Juventus. While Chelsea is also monitoring Adeyemi, Galeno is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs, yet he has instructed his representatives to prioritize Juventus for the time being. These are promising signs, but they are not enough to finalize a deal. Key negotiations with both Dortmund and Porto will prove decisive.
Giuntoli is prepared to measure Dortmund’s interest with an offer that could start at €35 million plus €10 million in bonuses and potentially include a percentage of any future sale. Meanwhile, for Porto, Juventus hopes to initiate discussions with a proposal around €25 million, aiming to ramp it up to €30 million plus bonuses. Historically, Borussia Dortmund is not inclined to sell on the cheap, as they do not need to sell at this time. Similarly, Porto usually does not engage in discount sales, but this summer is unique for them. New president André Villas-Boas must generate funds through player sales, making Galeno one of the main candidates to leave.
As Giuntoli casts his nets in Germany and Portugal, he awaits to see whether Adeyemi or Galeno will be caught. Anything can happen, including the emergence of other names behind these two as potential targets. At Continassa, the inquiries keep flowing, with players like Conceicao Jr (also from Porto) and Nico Gonzalez of Fiorentina on the radar, as Atalanta is also interested in Gonzalez. Domenico Berardi remains a possibility too, as he recovers from an injury and plays in Serie B with Sassuolo. He could potentially become a last-minute loan option in addition to either Adeyemi or Galeno.
