Juventus' midfield crisis leaves Allegri stuck: Could Piotr Zielinski be the answer?

As the 2023/24 Serie A season has progressed, the off-field problems around Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli have left Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri without depth in the midfield and with a drastic decrease in creativity and finesse on the pitch.

Consequently, the Bianconeri have acted with a great deal of urgency whilst being left exposed in the middle and they have extended Manuel Locatelli's contract, and appear prepared to make a move for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski in the January transfer window.

Allegri's Juventus midfield down to the bare bones

As it stands, Allegri is left wanting options in midfield; he only has Adrien Rabiot, Weston McKennie, Locatelli, Fabio Miretti, and the inexperienced Hans Nicolussi Cavigilia at his disposal.

Despite only playing once a week due to being excluded from European competitions, Juventus find themselves in troubled waters and lacking the depth boasted by their fellow Serie A title hopefuls and European contenders.

Could Zielinski arrive from Napoli to solve Juventus' midfield problems?

La Gazzetta dello Sport report that the Bianconeri are eager to move for Piotr Zielinski as a midfield reinforcement, with his Napoli contract expiring in June 2024.

Since joining the Partenopei from Udinese in the summer of 2016, the central midfielder has become a key player at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona and accumulated 265 appearances. Zielinski played a huge role last season in Luciano Spalletti's 2022/23 title-winning team.

As it stands, Zielinski and Napoli have yet to reach an agreement with just a little over six months remaining on his current deal and from January 1 he will be permitted to talk to clubs ahead of making a free transfer in the summer.

Juventus director Christian Giuntoli, who himself joined the club from Napoli in the summer of 2023, is assessing the situation. He is hoping to lure the 29-year-old on a free transfer and meet his salary demands of between €5-6 million.

However, Juventus face competition for his signature as bitter rivals Inter are also considering a move for Zielinski.