Southampton director Jason Wilcox is confident Carlos Alcaraz will return to the club after a six-month loan at Juventus, but the Old Lady seem willing to keep the Argentinean in Turin long-term.
Alcaraz joined Juventus on an initial loan deal with an option to buy for €49.5m from Southampton in the winter transfer window and the 21-year-old is available tonight in a key Serie A game against Inter at the Stadio Meazza.
“Allowing Charly to leave on loan was a decision that we have been deliberating on for some time, but Russell, Phil and our ownership group are all in agreement that this is the right move for Charly at this time,” said Jason Wilcox when confirming Alcaraz’s move to Juventus on January 31.
“Considering the midfield options we have available to us right now, and Charly’s lack of game time, we wanted to allow him this chance to gain some valuable experience in one of the top leagues in Europe.
“Juventus are a huge club and we are convinced that this move will allow Charly the opportunity to flourish and then come back and be a success at Southampton.”
However, the Bianconeri seem willing to keep Alcaraz at the Allianz Stadium beyond the summer.
As explained by Football Italia’s transfer expert Matteo Moretto, Cristiano Giuntoli wants to keep Alcaraz in Turin for a long time, so Juventus are already planning to sign him permanently.
Tuttosport added that Matias Soulé could join Southampton at the end of the season, helping Juventus lower Alcaraz’s transfer fee. Southampton are strongly interested in the Argentinean winger who has netted 10 times in 21 Serie A games while on loan at Frosinone.