Weston McKennie first player to jump ship amid Juventus ‘storm’ as Leeds United transfer imminent
Weston McKennie is the first player to “abandon” the Juventus ship amid their points deduction this season as his transfer to Leeds United nears competition, according to Calciomercato.
Fabrizio Romano reported that the 24-year-old had completed his medical on Monday morning (30 January) and was set to sign a long-term deal at Elland Road imminently.
The deal will be an initial loan with a buy option of £30million, which can rise to £35million in total, according to the same report from Romano, with McKennie set for a reunion with World Cup teammate Tyler Adams at Elland Road.
Calciomercato has revealed (Monday 30 January) that the Old Lady were forced to sell McKennie as a “necessary sacrifice to raise cash” in January as the club were given their points deduction after a probe into past transfer dealings.
Juventus are currently 13th in Serie A after winning just 11 of their first 20 games, and McKennie is the first player to abandon the club after the “storm” which was created following a 2-0 defeat to Monza on Sunday (29 January).
Makes sense
The transfer of McKennie makes sense for all parties involved.
Juventus are receiving a brilliant transfer fee for a player who never quite lived up to expectations in Italy, while Leeds are getting a Champions League quality player amongst their ranks.
The 24-year-old will be looking forward to a reunion with USA international teammates Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson in the Leeds midfield, while the opportunity to be coached by American manager Marsch is an added bonus.
A move to the Premier League was the next logical step in McKennie’s career, and you can’t help but feel he was beginning to stagnate in a Juventus side who are 30 points off league-leaders Napoli in Serie A.
There are no excuses for Marsch now, as he has been backed significantly by Andrea Radrizzani this month, with Max Wober and club-record signing Georginio Rutter already arriving through the Elland Road gates.
With these three January recruits in his first team, you can’t help but feel Leeds will quieten any calls of a relegation fight in the coming months and start to push towards the top half of the Premier League table.