Back to Soccer
Juventus track Tomori and Kessié, Zirkzee boost as Man United step away
transfernormalNeutral55% confidence

Juventus track Tomori and Kessié, Zirkzee boost as Man United step away

August 18, 2026 at 09:04 AM
SpeculationTransferNormal urgency55% confidence

Quick summary

Juventus are reportedly interested in AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori and ex-Milan midfielder Franck Kessié, while their pursuit of Joshua Zirkzee is aided by Manchester United deciding not to proceed.

Full article

Attributed to original source

Joshua Zirkzee was not involved in Manchester United’s latest friendly against Milan, boosting Juventus’ hopes of signing the Dutch striker, reports Gazzetta.

Juventus remain interested in Manchester United striker Zirkzee and are determined to open talks with the Red Devils if Jonathan David leaves.

Latest Juventus transfer news: Zirkzee, Tomori, Kessié MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 16: Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate Marcus Rashford during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Fulham FC at Old Trafford on August 16, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) Zirkzee is not part of Manchester United’s plans, as evidenced by Michael Carrick’s decision to omit the ex-Bologna star from the club’s friendly against Milan on August 15.

Juventus have already confirmed five new signings for 2026-27 and will soon announce Guglielmo Vicario as their new goalkeeper.

Their transfer activity, however, is not over as the Serie A giants are still willing to bring in reinforcements in attack, midfield and defence.

Gazzetta and Corriere dello Sport confirm that ex-Milan and Atalanta star Franck Kessie remains the Bianconeri’s priority target. The Ivory Coast international is available as a free agent.

As for the defence, Juventus are monitoring the left-back market but are also exploring low-cost options, including Milan’s Fikayo Tomori.

Source attribution: this article content is based on the linked publisher feed/source. Chance adds independent soccer context, impact analysis, entity links, and related news.

What happened

Juventus are weighing moves for several targets ahead of the transfer window. Fikayo Tomori, currently at AC Milan, is under consideration to strengthen the defence, while Franck Kessié, who left Milan as a free agent, is being explored as a midfield option. Separately, Juventus's hopes of signing Joshua Zirkzee have been boosted after Manchester United reportedly opted against pursuing the Dutch striker, leaving the path clearer for the Bianconeri. The combined interest signals an active recruitment drive in Turin.

Chance analysis

Juventus appear to be addressing multiple squad needs simultaneously: defensive reinforcement (Tomori), midfield depth and physicality (Kessié), and attacking options (Zirkzee). The Man United withdrawal from the Zirkzee race is meaningful as it removes a major competing bidder, improving Juventus's leverage. None of these moves are confirmed, so squad planning systems should treat them as speculative. The interest in former Milan players suggests a pattern of targeting familiar Serie A profiles, which could imply quicker integration.

Impact

If completed, Juventus would gain defensive depth, midfield reinforcement, and a young forward option, strengthening multiple areas of the squad.

AI Insight

Juventus are active in the market across defence, midfield, and attack, but no deals are confirmed — treat squad composition projections as low-confidence until official announcements.

Related entities
juventusac-milanman-utdbournemouthitalyinter-milanManchester UnitedAc Milan
Players
Fikayo TomoriFranck KessiéJoshua Zirkzee

Original source

Chance summarizes and analyzes this story, with attribution to the publisher/source.

Read Original Source
About this article

Transfer

Juventus track Tomori and Kessié, Zirkzee boost as Man United step away

Juventus are reportedly interested in AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori and ex-Milan midfielder Franck Kessié, while their pursuit of Joshua Zirkzee is aided by Manchester United deciding not to proceed.

Article summary

Juventus are weighing moves for several targets ahead of the transfer window. Fikayo Tomori, currently at AC Milan, is under consideration to strengthen the defence, while Franck Kessié, who left Milan as a free agent, is being explored as a midfield option. Separately, Juventus's hopes of signing Joshua Zirkzee have been boosted after Manchester United reportedly opted against pursuing the Dutch striker, leaving the path clearer for the Bianconeri. The combined interest signals an active recruitment drive in Turin.

Juventus appear to be addressing multiple squad needs simultaneously: defensive reinforcement (Tomori), midfield depth and physicality (Kessié), and attacking options (Zirkzee). The Man United withdrawal from the Zirkzee race is meaningful as it removes a major competing bidder, improving Juventus's leverage. None of these moves are confirmed, so squad planning systems should treat them as speculative. The interest in former Milan players suggests a pattern of targeting familiar Serie A profiles, which could imply quicker integration.

Source and timing

Published
Aug 18, 2026, 9:04 AM
Category
Speculation
Confidence
55%
Priority
Normal

Related teams, competitions, matches, and tags

  • juventus
  • ac-milan
  • man-utd
  • bournemouth
  • italy
  • inter-milan
  • Manchester United
  • Ac Milan

Related article links

These related articles are returned by the same team or competition news APIs and are linked here only when real article data is available.

FAQ

What is this article based on?

This article page uses the article data returned by the Chance API, including source attribution, summaries, topics, and resolved soccer entities when available.

Does Chance invent related teams or competitions?

No. Related entities are shown only when article data includes real slugs or resolved entity records; clickable links require reliable route identifiers.

Juventus track Tomori and Kessié, Zirkzee boost as Man United step away | Chance Soccer News