Mario and Costa exchange, Juventus needs to strengthen 5 positions, Mendes recommends Semedo

On July 24, local time in Italy, Juventus Club officially announced that it would sign Porto right-back Joao Mario for 11.4 million euros, plus a surcharge of 1.2 million yuan, while Alberto Costa transferred to Porto.

João Mario received a physical examination arranged by the Zebra Corps on Thursday and then officially signed a contract until June 2030. Juventus' official website confirmed that the transfer fee was 11.4 million, plus a surcharge of 1.2 million, and the total fee reached 12.6 million, which was paid in four years.

25-year-old Joao Mario is a Porto youth training player and then joined the first team. He played 42 times for the team last season and contributed 7 assists. He is a right back and can be more forward in position as the right midfielder or even the right winger if needed.

Mario chose the No. 25 jersey after joining Juventus.

Juventus' official website also confirmed that Portuguese right-back Alberto Costa transfers to Porto for 15 million euros, plus a surcharge of 1 million yuan.

Alberto Costa and Joao Mario's two transfers are closely linked, but are regarded as separate and different transactions for accounting purposes. Since Juventus is a listed company, they have to issue a statement that provides very precise transfer details.

Porto will spend 15 million euros to sign Alberto Costa, paying in four years, plus a bonus clause of up to 1 million. Considering that Juventus bought the fullback from Guimaraes for only 13.8 million (including surcharge) in January, this means Juventus profited from Costa’s deal.

Alberto Costa made a total of 14 appearances for Juventus and contributed 3 assists.

Since Joao Mario's transfer fee is 11.4 million euros, plus a surcharge of 1.2 million, it means that Juventus actually got Mario and made a profit of 3 million euros on the exchange. Italian media reported that Douglas Luis did not return to Juventus for the pre-season training camp on Thursday morning, an unauthorized absence.

On Thursday morning, the Zebras began gathering in Continasa to officially start preparations for the new season. Douglas Louis did not show up, however. According to reports from the Milan Sports and other Italian media, his absence was not authorized by the club.

It is obvious that Douglas Luis failed to justify his €50 million worth in his first season at Allianz Stadium, and the Brazilian midfielder is being forced to leave the Turin giants. Turin Sports previously reported that Louis's agent will meet with Premier League clubs interested in his clients this week.

Several Premier League clubs are linked to the former Aston Villa star, including West Ham United, Everton, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Fulham, Liverpool and Manchester United.

However, according to Meito, Juventus aims to sell Louis for at least 40 million euros to avoid capital losses, and has not received matching offers so far this summer.

Juventus starts pre-season training this Thursday. "Milan Sports" reported that Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luis missed training without approval, but the Zebras is still building their own team, and coach Tudor still needs five new players.

Juventus players have started to return to Torino for pre-season training, but have not seen Douglas Luis arrive at their training center. The club did not approve the Brazilian's absence, so they will take disciplinary measures and speed up negotiations to sell him.

Concesan and Jonathan David also did not arrive in Continentasa, but they have obtained the club's approval to extend the holiday. David is one of Juventus' new players this summer, and second new player Joao Mario underwent a medical examination Thursday morning.

Juventus' new general manager Damien Comoli is working hard to bring in more players when the new season will start in a month.

Juventus coach Tudor has asked for three more players to sign to make the team a credible title contender again in the 2025-26 season, but Sporting Milan claimed they will need at least five new players to compete on the highest stages of Italian and European football.

With Vlahovic's imminent departure, Juventus will definitely need a center. Negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain for Kloe Muani are underway, but the Zebras are also paying close attention to Santiago Castro (Bologna) and Rasmus Hoylund (Manchester United).

Sancho is another possible reinforcement, but only if Nico Gonzalez leaves, and the Turin giants certainly need a new central defender, their options include Valerdi and Chabot.

Tonali and Flatsi are too expensive, with Jurmand, Bisuma and Amrabat being the old woman’s targets in the midfield, and the club has discussed with Atletico Madrid in recent days the transfer of Argentina’s right-back Molina.

"Sports of Milan reported that Juventus striker Vlahovic's agent Dalko Ristic is expected to arrive in Turin in the next few hours to discuss the future of Toastán with the club because there are rumors that the Serbian international may transfer to AC Milan.

According to Miti, Vlahovic's agent Ristic is expected to arrive in Turin within the next 24-28 hours. The Serbian striker is no longer within the Zebras' plan, but his contract with Juventus will be expired for a year, so the club hopes to sell him and cash out.

Vlahovic's salary is one of the main issues, as she will receive €12 million in the last year of her giants contract in Turin, which seems to be a salary that no European club would like to match.

Italian media claimed that AC Milan had begun preliminary negotiations with Juventus on Wednesday, and coach Allegri was eager to reunite with the Serbian international at the San Siro Stadium.

"Milan Sports" added that the Ross and Blacks may introduce Vlahovic in the future by Vlavavre's cash exchange, but the Ross and Blacks still need Juventus to pay part of the salary for Vla's first season in the transfer to San Siro.

Mite said that although Atletico Madrid and Barcelona remain interested in the 25-year-old, transfer to Milan was a "specific" option for Vlahovic.

The Turin Sports reported that AC Milan and Naples both asked about Weston McKennie's situation. The US midfielder wanted to stay in Turin, but he still did not reach a contract renewal with Juventus.

Naples and Milan both showed interest in Juventus midfielder McKennie, and according to the Turin Sports newspaper, both Serie A clubs discussed the possibility of potential deals with the Zebras.

McKennie is part of the plan for coach Tudor, but the Americans' contract expires after the end of the 2025-26 season, so the club does not rule out the possibility of selling him if the contract is not renewed.

McKenney was hidden by the club last summer and returned to the first team after the contract was extended until 2026. But this time, he will continue to participate in pre-season training under Tudor.

It is reported that McKennie may also return to China to switch to the American Professional League. The American midfielder has never played for the club of his home country and should not rule out the possibility of him playing in the MLS, especially considering the 2026 World Cup.

La Stampa reported that super agent Mendes recommended former Barcelona and Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo to Juventus, the 31-year-old Portuguese is currently a free agent.

Semedo has rich experience in international competitions and has represented the Portuguese national team 44 times. He played well in Benfica, transferred to Barcelona for 35.7 million euros in the summer of 2017, played for Catalonia for three years, and transferred to Wolves for 32 million in the summer of 2020 after experiencing ups and downs.

After playing for Wolves for five years, Semedo's contract with the Premier League club expires and is currently a free agent. According to La Stampa, Semedo's agent Mendes has recommended him to the Zebras, who is currently looking for a new full-back.

Although Juventus is about to sign another Portuguese right-back Joao Mario, they need more reinforcements at this position. Because Alberto Costa will transfer to Porto and Timothy Via may also join Marseille soon, the two clubs are close to reaching an agreement.

Therefore, Juventus is still considering strengthening the right-back position, with their options including Atlanta star Palestra, Fiorentina's Dodo and Nice's Jonathan Klaus. As for Semedo, he might be an attractive target given his extensive playing experience.

However, although Semedo can join freely, it will definitely bring various fees, including signing fees and Mendes' broker commission. The Republic also reported the same transfer rumors, noting that Semedo could serve as a right-wingback or right-center-back in Tudor's 3-4-2-1 formation.