Carnevali's bloodbath warning puts Juventus in play for Marseille's Hojbjerg

Carnevali’s bloodbath warning puts Juventus in play for Marseille’s Hojbjerg

Reports in France say Juventus are preparing to open talks with Olympique de Marseille for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, days after the Italian club’s CEO described a second successive Champions League miss…

·

Read in:

Juventus have begun positioning for a winter move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, according to reporting from Get French Football News citing La Gazzetta dello Sport. Preliminary discussions with the 31-year-old Denmark international’s representatives have already taken place, with further talks between the clubs expected soon.

The timing fits the mood in Turin. Chief executive Giovanni Carnevali, who took over at Juventus in June after Damien Comolli’s exit, spoke bluntly on 1 October about what missing Champions League qualification would mean for the club.

“It has become more business than football, it’s one thing if you qualify for the Champions League, otherwise it’s a bloodbath,” Carnevali said.

For Luciano Spalletti’s side, an experienced midfielder with Ligue 1 and Premier League miles would be the kind of pragmatic reinforcement that goes with a top-four push framed as a financial necessity.

Read also: Lewis Hamilton takes swipe at Ferrari after ignoring pit wall call

Hojbjerg still open to the right project

Hojbjerg’s situation in Marseille is well documented. The club, citing financial difficulties, wanted to sell during the summer, Newcastle United had a £15m deal agreed between the two sides, and the Dane turned the move down. Marseille responded by stripping him of the captaincy on 14 August, handing the armband to Timothy Weah before a friendly against Atlético Madrid.

Head coach Bruno Genesio did not hide his disagreement with the decision at the time.

“I’ll be completely frank, it’s a decision by the management that I do not share,” Genesio told reporters.

Despite the fallout with the hierarchy, Hojbjerg has kept his place in the side and the backing of Genesio. According to the reporting, he remains open to leaving in the winter window provided the destination counts as an attractive project at a major European club.

Read also: I wanted to stop racing”: Pidcock finishes second at Tre Valli after police motorbike hits two teammates

Rumour stage, no club confirmation

Nothing has been confirmed by either Juventus or Marseille, and no quotes from the player, his representatives or the clubs appear in the original reporting. At this point the story is a specialist French football outlet relaying an Italian paper’s account of early-stage contacts, and should be read as such.

The next concrete marker will be the January transfer window, which opens for Serie A and Ligue 1 clubs on 1 January 2027.

Read also: Rune’s return lands him in Shelton’s section at Shanghai

Related Stories