The Celta Vigo full-back is pushing for an agreement. Salah returns to Liverpool and may free up Fede

The starting point is the most difficult when the winter transfer market opens: improving what you have at your disposal is not the easiest thing in the world if you are trying to do so on a reduced budget or without a budget. The strength of ideas, one might say. Or the strength of opportunities, the main road to follow. Juventus’ winter transfer market must cling to the two variables just mentioned: the power of ideas and the power of opportunities. Hence, the two Bianconeri tables are open, but not yet set as one would like. Two tables, two names on which the first part of the transfer merry-go-round is focusing: Federico Chiesa and Oscar Mingueza.

Starting with defense, the Celta Vigo winger is the player identified by the club to give Luciano Spalletti an extra card to play on the wing, which until now has had only one tireless protagonist: Pierre Kalulu. The right wing, to be precise. This is an area of the field where the Tuscan coach lacks alternatives: Kalulu has not missed a second of play between the league and cups, but to think that he can do the same until the end of May would be too risky. Hence the need that has been discussed for some time: Joao Mario is on the sidelines of the new project, Mingueza could enter through the front door. Yes, Mingueza. The youngster, who grew up in Barcelona from the age of eight, has established himself at Celta, especially last season: he has also caught the eye of the Spanish federation, with coach Luis de la Fuente calling him up and giving him a chance to shine in four appearances, including the Nations League final. Celta knows that it will lose Mingueza for nothing next June in light of an unrenewed contract, and in five months, Juventus will be in pole position in the race to secure his services. The situation becomes more complicated if the horizon for a transfer on the field narrows to the current month. Is there a chance we will see the former Barcelona player at the Continassa by the end of January? As mentioned, Juventus must take advantage of any opportunities that arise, and this could be one: Mingueza is fascinated by the idea of a move to Turin, while Aston Villa, the revelation of the Premier League, is also looking at Vigo. The Bianconeri would take the lead with a compensation payment of €5 million to the Spanish club, which in turn would have to pay half of that amount to Barcelona under the terms of the agreement on the resale of the full-back. The table is open, very open, and the solution is yet to be deciphered.

Reds at a crossroads—   If the ball of the transfer market passes to the attack, Federico Chiesa is waiting for news. Fede can’t do any more: the former Juventus player is ready to say yes to a grand return home with a reduced salary and the enthusiasm of someone dreaming of a new start and the World Cup in America if Gattuso’s Azzurri qualify in the play-offs at the end of March. Today, Momo Salah will return to Liverpool, saddened by Senegal’s elimination in the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals and called upon to dispel rumors of a move elsewhere in front of the Reds’ top brass: transfer rumors have him on the fence, but the feeling is that this is not the case, and if it is not, Chiesa can smile. The reason? Liverpool would end all talks with Juventus if Salah were to express such deep discontent that he asked to leave, and they would end it for reasons of numbers in attack. The English club is asking for a formula for Chiesa’s departure that is not a simple loan, as Continassa knows, but they also know that in winter, games are decided at the last minute: Federico is in a hurry, he wants to spend his time getting to know his old home, Liverpool has less time, and Juventus is in the middle of a story yet to be written that could have a spectacular ending. Going beyond a loan is not easy, but it is not impossible either: it is a matter of strength of ideas and strength of opportunities. The two tables with the names of Mingueza and Chiesa are open, very open.