Juventus Urgently Pursue Striker as Transfer Window Closes
Juventus are back on the hunt for a striker. Not in theory, not as a long-term plan, but as an urgent, late-window mission.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that doubts over the central forward role have flared up again at Continassa, even after a win over Frosinone that should have calmed nerves. The three points arrived. The performance in front of goal did not.
Luciano Spalletti walked away from that match irritated rather than relieved, angered by a string of squandered chances that kept the result far tighter than it needed to be. For a club that has already stumbled in its search for a leading No 9 – with previous frustrations involving Lois Openda and Jonathan David – the sense of déjà vu is impossible to ignore.
Kolo Muani in the firing line
The frustration had a clear target: Randal Kolo Muani.
Signed for a significant fee and expected to spearhead the attack, the Frenchman delivered a wasteful display against Frosinone that repeatedly broke Juventus’ rhythm. The chances came. They were not taken.
Spalletti did not bother to sugarcoat his assessment. He issued a blunt warning in public, challenging both the player’s form and his status.
“Randal also needs to realise that if he hasn't been playing for two years, there's a reason why,” the coach said, a line that cut through any lingering excuses and underlined the demand for a higher standard from the former Paris Saint-Germain forward.
The message was unmistakable: reputation counts for little if the ball does not end up in the net.
Sorloth at the top of the list
That impatience has pushed Juventus back into the market with renewed intensity. Spalletti wants something very specific: a physically dominant, penalty-box striker who can live off crosses, occupy centre-backs and finish ruthlessly.
Alexander Sorloth fits that brief.
The Atletico Madrid forward has hit 20 or more goals in each of his last three seasons, a level of consistency that immediately appeals to a club desperate for reliability in the most decisive area of the pitch. He offers the classic No 9 profile Spalletti craves – presence in the box, aerial power, a fixed reference point for the rest of the attack.
Juventus, according to the report, have stepped up work on a potential swap deal involving Nico Gonzalez, with the winger open to a move to Madrid. It would be a bold reshaping of the front line, trading wide creativity for a pure finisher.
Zirkzee the alternative
There is a Plan B, but it looks very different.
Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee remains on the table as a late-window option. The Dutchman brings guile, link-up play and creativity between the lines rather than the bruising, penalty-area dominance Sorloth provides.
He can knit attacks together and drag defenders out of position, yet he does not tick the same “traditional No 9” box Spalletti has been pushing for. The choice between them would say a lot about the direction Juventus want to take: a system built around a classic finisher, or a more fluid, interchangeable front line.
A decisive few days
Time is running out. With the transfer window closing and competitive fixtures about to pile up, Juventus cannot afford hesitation.
Inside the club, landing a proven goalscorer is seen as the final major piece needed to unlock deep, compact defences that have too often slowed them to a crawl. The structure is there, the patterns are there; the ruthless edge is not.
Whether the solution is Sorloth, Zirkzee, or a late twist from elsewhere, Spalletti’s stance is clear and uncompromising. The next striker through the door will not just fill a squad slot.
He will decide how far this Juventus attack can really go.
