Nahuel Molina is set to sign a £40,000-a-week contract with Serie A giants Juventus amid interest from Premier League duo Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, as reported by Calciomercato.
Even Trent Alexander-Arnold would be proud of numbers like this.
Eight goals and five assists in 37 games; Not bad for a ‘defender’. And Molina, one of Europe’s most productive full-backs and an Argentina international to boot, will be rewarded for a terrific, coming-of-age season at Udinese with a big-money move to one of the biggest clubs on the continent.
And no, we don’t mean you, Arsenal.
It emerged earlier in the summer that the Gunners were leading a rather stacked race to secure Molina’s signature. A race Nottingham Forest joined a couple of weeks ago, according to Tuttosport.
“Molina is a player who, due to the interest he is attracting in Italy and abroad, will be difficult to keep,” admitted Udinese director Pierpaolo Marino when quizzed about reports saying Arsenal had submitted a bid for the one-time Boca Juniors youngster.
Since then, Arsenal have turned their attention to alternative targets, such as Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters (The Athletic). Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have paid £17 million to bring Neco Williams to the City Ground from Liverpool.
Nahuel Molina heading to Juventus despite Premier League interest
As such, Juventus have a clearer route than they might have expected as the men from Turin firm up their interest in one of Serie A’s rising stars.
Molina will reportedly agree a four-year deal worth £40,000-a-week, plus bonuses, at the Allianz Stadium. There is still work to be done, however. Juventus and Udinese do not see eye-to-eye on Molina’s price-tag. The former want to pay around £13 million. The latter value Molina at nearly double.
But Juventus believe a compromise is on the cards with negotiations very much underway.
“There are so many players in my position that I study,” 24-year-old Molina told Goal recently. “But probably Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James more than most. In Serie A, I also really like watching Theo Hernandez and Ivan Perisic.
“There are a lot of great attacking full-backs out there but I really like those four. I watch them to see what I can take from them and put in my own game.
“I’m always thinking what I can do to take another step forward, both offensively and defensively.”
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