Juventus Near Agreement for Lucumí as Defender Rejects Premier League Offer

Jhon Lucumí has given Juventus his word. Now the Turin club must convince Bologna to let their defensive pillar go.

The Colombian centre-back has reached an agreement in principle with the Bianconeri on a five-year contract worth €2.5 million per season plus bonuses, choosing prestige and European football over a richer offer from the Premier League. Nottingham Forest were ready to pay him around €1 million more net each year, while Chelsea and Manchester United also tested the ground, but Lucumí kept one name at the top of his list: Juventus.

For a player who has just come off an eye-catching World Cup, it is a statement. He wants the big stage, not just a big salary.

Spalletti’s priority

Luciano Spalletti pushed hard. Impressed by Lucumí’s commanding displays on the international stage – including a standout performance in which he shut down Cristiano Ronaldo – the Juventus coach quickly identified him as a defensive priority.

The message from Turin was clear: you’re not just another option, you’re the plan.

That conviction resonated with Lucumí. Staying in Serie A, stepping up to a club with European ambitions and a global profile, and anchoring a back line under a coach renowned for structure and detail – the package outweighed Forest’s financial muscle and the tentative interest from England’s giants.

Bologna hold the cards – for now

The real battle now shifts from the player’s side to the negotiating table.

Bologna, fully aware of Lucumí’s importance and the market around him, have set their price. They value the defender at a minimum of €25 million after his €28 million release clause expired in mid-July. That clause had given them a position of strength; its expiry has changed the landscape.

There is another clock ticking in the background. Lucumí’s contract in Emilia-Romagna has just 10 months left. Bologna know they cannot overplay their hand. Push too hard, and they risk watching their defensive leader walk away for nothing next summer.

Talks between the clubs are under way. Juventus see an opening: a player already sold on the move, a club under mild contractual pressure, and a coach who has made his target crystal clear.

Bologna see something else: their defensive organiser, fresh from a World Cup that has raised his profile and his price, at the peak of his value.

Somewhere between those positions lies the number that will decide whether Lucumí walks out at the Allianz Stadium in black and white – or spends one more year marshalling Bologna’s back line before the market comes calling again.