Juventus Balogun Transfer Rumour: What It Means for the Attack

The Juventus Balogun transfer rumour is a single-source report worth tracking: Tuttosport reports that Juventus have made AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun their top priority for the January window. Nothing is signed. What makes the link worth reading closely is the numbers behind it, because the Juventus scoring chart this season is led by a centre-back.

Below we separate what is confirmed from what is reported, then lay out why Luciano Spalletti’s side are shopping for a number nine, who the fallback options are, and which fixtures will shape the price before January.

Juventus Balogun Transfer Rumour: What Tuttosport Says

Juventus want Folarin Balogun as their first-choice January signing, according to Tuttosport, as relayed in ESPN’s daily Transfer Talk column on October 28. The Turin paper says the choice is driven by technical and financial factors, without spelling out either. The player in question is a 25-year-old USMNT international, and ESPN adds that Balogun is expected to leave Monaco after a €40 million transfer to Everton collapsed. Tuttosport also names two alternatives if the Balogun route closes: Atlético Madrid striker Alexander Sørloth and Frosinone loanee Antonio Raimondo. No fee, bid or contract length has been reported for any of the three in the ESPN summary of the report.

Folarin Balogun Rumour Check: Confirmed vs Reported

The Folarin Balogun story has one confirmed core, the collapsed Everton move, and one single-source claim, the Juventus interest. The confirmed parts come from public record: Balogun is a Monaco player and a United States international, he agreed a move to Everton on August 31, and the deal died after complications with his medical, with Balogun ultimately choosing to stay in Ligue 1. The reported parts all trace back to Tuttosport: that Juventus rank him first, that the decision is partly financial, and that Sørloth and Raimondo are the backups. ESPN frames his Monaco exit as expected rather than agreed. One number differs by source: ESPN calls it a €40 million move, while Wikipedia lists a €45 million fee with €5 million in add-ons. Treat the Juventus link as a reported interest, not as a negotiation in progress.

Juventus Striker Problem: Serie A Table and Scoring Data

Juventus need a striker because the current attack is not producing goals from the centre-forward position. After nine Serie A games, Juventus sit eighth with a 4-2-3 record, 14 points and a goal difference of just +1, according to ESPN standings. Their leading league scorer is Bremer with 2 goals in 8 matches, a centre-back. Randal Kolo Muani leads the squad with 17 total shots and 1 assist, yet he is not the team’s top scorer. Across the last five games in all competitions Juventus scored six and conceded eight, and they were shut out twice: 0-3 at home to Lazio and 0-2 at Genoa on October 28. Internazionale and Lazio share top spot on 25 points, and Como hold fourth on 20, already six points clear of Juventus.

Juventus last five games

Neither goal in the best league result of that run came from a striker. In the 2-0 win at Lecce, Weston McKennie scored his first goal since April and Douglas Luiz added the second, ESPN reported. Boos could be heard aimed at Spalletti and the team after the 2-2 Europa League draw with Rennes at the Allianz Stadium.

Folarin Balogun Goals: Ligue 1 and World Cup Record

Folarin Balogun offers Juventus a proven scoring record at a level that should translate to Serie A. In 2025-26 he was Monaco’s top scorer with 19 goals and four assists in all competitions, and the fourth top scorer in Ligue 1 with 13 league goals, which earned him Monaco’s Player of the Season award. He scored in eight consecutive league games from February 21, tying the best streak in Europe’s top five leagues that season, shared with Kylian Mbappé at Real Madrid. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup he scored twice in a 4-1 win over Paraguay and then again against Bosnia and Herzegovina, three goals that matched Landon Donovan for the second-most by an American at a single World Cup. The warning sign is fitness: injuries sidelined him for most of 2024-25.

Balogun’s own league output for this season is not in the ESPN data we used. What ESPN does list is Paris Brunner, not Balogun, as Monaco’s top league scorer with 4 goals in 6 matches, and Monaco sit fourth in Ligue 1 on 15 points with a 4-3-1 record.

January Transfer Window: Juventus Striker Alternatives

The January transfer window gives Juventus three realistic striker paths, and each says something different about their budget. Balogun is the premium option: a forward with recent Champions League and World Cup goals, and the one Everton were willing to pay €40 million for in the summer, per ESPN. Alexander Sørloth of Atlético Madrid is the experienced alternative named by Tuttosport. Antonio Raimondo, a Frosinone loanee, is the Serie A option already playing in Italy, and Frosinone are sixth in the table on 14 points, level with Juventus. A separate thread affects the current squad: Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Bayern Munich are monitoring Nick Woltemade, the Newcastle United loanee already at Juventus, as a backup for Harry Kane.

• Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco): top priority, per Tuttosport
• Alexander Sørloth (Atlético Madrid): alternative, per Tuttosport
• Antonio Raimondo (Frosinone loanee): alternative, per Tuttosport

Woltemade is a current Juventus player on loan, not a target, but interest from Bayern Munich matters: if he were recalled or moved on, Juventus would need a new striker even more urgently than the Balogun report suggests.

Juventus Fixtures and Odds Before the January Window

Juventus host Napoli on Sunday, November 1 at 19:45 UK, and the betting market still makes them narrow home favourites, though by less than it did at the open. DraftKings, via ESPN, prices Juventus at +110, Napoli at +225 and the draw at 220. Removing the 9.6% bookmaker margin gives Juventus 43.4%, the draw 28.5% and Napoli 28.1%. The movement is the story: Juventus opened at -125 and have lengthened to +110, while Napoli shortened from +310 to +225, so money has moved toward the visitors. Napoli arrive after a 4-1 win at Monza, and Kevin De Bruyne leads them with 3 league goals. Juventus did beat Napoli 3-0 in January 2026, but Napoli lead the recent series 3-1-1. Four days later Juventus visit AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League, priced at +100 to win. If you want to check the conversion yourself, our implied probability guide shows the maths.

Our read: at 43.4% Juventus still look slightly overrated for a side whose top league scorer is a centre-back and who failed to score in two of their last five, so the drift toward Napoli makes sense. Another blank would make the Juventus striker search louder heading into January. Lines move, so check the current odds and bet only what you can afford to lose.

Sources: ESPN Transfer Talk, Oct 28; ESPN match report, Lecce vs Juventus; ESPN standings and odds; Wikipedia: Folarin Balogun.

Folarin Balogun Transfer FAQ