Juventus are on the verge of signing Valencia centre-back Facundo Gonzalez: find out who is the 20-year-old who has recently won the U20 World Cup beating Italy in the Final.
Sky Sport Italia and Gazzetta claim Juventus will strike a deal with Valencia next week, so the purchase of Gonzalez is virtually a done deal for the Bianconeri.
The 20-year-old hasn’t made his senior debut with Valencia but collected 37 appearances with their ‘B’ squad scoring one goal. Gonzalez is a classic centre-back. Left-footed and 1,93 meters tall. His contract at the Estadio Mestalla runs out in June 2024.
The Uruguayan defender played all games in the U20 World Cup lifting the trophy after beating Italy 1-0 in the Final on June 11.
Uruguay only conceded three goals during the competition, all in their debut against England which saw the South Americans lose 3-2. They went on by keeping clean sheets against Tunisia, Gambia, USMNT, Israel and Italy.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Milan were also monitoring the promising defender, but Juventus have practically secured his signature.
Gonzalez will likely start his life in Turin by playing with Juventus NextGen, but the Bianconeri have recently promoted many academy products to their senior team, so it may not take long for Gonzalez to start training under Massimiliano Allegri at Continassa. The Valencia centre-back has Italian citizenship so he won’t fill a spot for non-EU players.
Juventus are also trying to get rid of Leonardo Bonucci who has not joined the team for a pre-season tour in the USA. Although Gonzalez can’t yet be seen as a permanent replacement for the Italian centre-back, Juventus hope he will become an important part of the team in the near future.