Juventus Considers De Gea as Martinez Pursuit Stalls

Juventus have drawn up a familiar contingency plan. If their push to land Emiliano Martinez stalls, the Bianconeri are ready to turn to David De Gea, according to Calciomercato.

The Turin club are scouring the market for a goalkeeper who can challenge new arrival Michel Di Gregorio, not simply back him up. Martinez remains the preferred option, the one they believe can anchor the position for years, but there is no certainty Aston Villa will sell on terms Juve can accept. The deal is complicated. The clock is ticking.

Into that uncertainty steps De Gea. Now at Fiorentina, the former Manchester United and Spain No. 1 has forced his way back into the elite conversation after a year in the wilderness as a free agent. Juventus see a profile they know well: experience, personality, a loud voice in the dressing room and the kind of presence Luciano Spalletti has always valued between the posts.

The numbers back up the eye test. De Gea recorded 10 clean sheets in 37 Serie A outings last season, following 11 in his debut campaign in Florence. His goals-prevented figure climbed to +1.06 from 0.59 the year before, evidence that at 35 he is still reading the game, still making saves that tilt results.

Fiorentina leaned heavily on that resurgence. De Gea played a central role in dragging them away from the relegation scrap after the club had flirted dangerously with the drop. For a keeper once questioned over his future at the top level, it was a pointed response.

That is exactly what tempts Juventus. Drop a proven, decorated veteran behind Di Gregorio and Spalletti gains security, leadership and a safety net if his new No. 1 wobbles. On paper, it makes sense.

Yet this is where the alarm bells ring in Turin.

Juventus have been here before, repeatedly turning to short-term solutions while the squad ages and the long-term spine erodes. Chasing another veteran goalkeeper risks repeating the same cycle: a stopgap today, another search tomorrow.

The market across Europe is littered with younger options—keepers who can grow, learn under pressure and genuinely threaten Di Gregorio for the shirt over the next five to seven years. That is the type of competition that shapes a project, not just a season. Instead, Juventus find themselves again linked to a player edging towards the final stretch of his career.

No one doubts De Gea’s ability to “do a job” for the Old Lady. His record in Serie A proves he remains a competent, often decisive presence. He would walk into the dressing room with instant respect and a catalogue of big nights behind him.

But he does not move the project forward. He stabilises it. There is a difference.

For a club that talks openly about returning to domestic dominance and re-establishing itself as a force in Europe, the choice is stark. Lean once more on an ageing star to plug a gap, or commit to a younger, ambitious goalkeeper who can grow with Di Gregorio and eventually define the next era in goal.

Juventus can still pivot. The question is whether they finally break with habit, or once again reach for the comfort of the familiar.