"Zhegrova stays," but Juve are pressing: Lille, low expectations or David 2.0

TURIN - Edon Zhegrova will remain at Lille . At least according to Olivier Letang , the president of the French club. He clearly has a say: it's up to him to approve or deny the Kosovar winger's departure. But he also has logical interests in the matter, since—faced with Juventus' approval—the player has begun pressuring the club to move to Turin . His words, therefore, need to be recorded and taken seriously. But also put into context.

Lille 's leader spoke yesterday about his talent, whose contract is expiring: "I know Comolli very well, and we've spoken several times since he took over in Italy. And, yes, there was some contact a few weeks ago: the door was perhaps more open then than it is now. Because my position is clear: Zhegrova is staying with us." He's staying, or would stay, in short, despite the prospect of a free transfer once again looming on the horizon, as happened this summer with Jonathan David, who curiously ended up in Turin. Meanwhile, the pros and cons of the deal are still being weighed. An agreement in principle with the Kosovar's entourage is already in place, and his contractual situation doesn't allow Lille to raise their demands too much, unless they opt to leave as a free agent in ten months. The doubts, if anything, concern the tenacity of a player who hasn't set foot on the pitch since last December due to a nagging groin injury. «Edon started again on Tuesday and felt a little discomfort, but he has already started training again: it's normal that he needs to find his rhythm again, but he could be part of the group straight away» explained coach Bruno Genesio .

But where would Zhegrova fit into this Juventus team ? Well, in place of Nico Gonzalez , at least numerically. The Argentine feels on the fringes of the Tudor project and is pushing, in turn, to leave the Bianconeri after just one season. So much so that the player has reportedly already reached a draft agreement with Atletico Madrid, his main suitors at the moment, allowing for a small salary reduction. In fact, going from the current €3.5 million per year to around €3 million would allow the "colchoneros" to save a couple of million on the four-year contract currently being finalized. This figure could prove crucial in meeting the Bianconeri's demands—which have dropped to €21-22 million, representing Nico Gonzalez 's "weight" on the books in a year—and thus secure a loan with an obligation to buy. Meanwhile, the Bianconeri have also explored Saelemaekers with AC Milan , but this option is unlikely to materialize.

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