Juventus are set to land the signing of 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz from Championship side Southampton before the close of the January transfer window, but the Bianconeri will have to pay more than first expected for the Argentine midfielder.
According to reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juve will pay a fee of €3.74m (£3.2m) to bring Alcaraz in on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, and will have an option to buy for €49.14m (£42m) if they want to sign him permanently in the summer.
This means that the total cost of transfer fees will amount to just shy of €53m across the loan fee and option to buy. That is significantly higher than the estimated sum of €35m-€40m that had been reported by various outlets in Italy in recent days.
However, there is a small catch. The loan fee will reportedly increase if Juventus fail to play Alcaraz regularly, but it will also decrease the more he plays.
If Juventus do sign Alcaraz permanently, Southampton will profit enormously, given they brought him in for a fee of €14m (£12m) just over a year ago in January 2023. Alcaraz’s former side Racing Club are also entitled to 15% of the profits raised by the Saints.
Alcaraz is set to undergo the first part of his medical examinations in London in the coming hours, before travelling to Turin to complete the formalities of his transfer later on Wednesday.
#Alcaraz-Juventus, accordo raggiunto ora: 3.2 milioni di sterline per il prestito con diritto di riscatto fissato a 42 milioni di sterline
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) January 31, 2024