SOCCER: Juventus to retain Yildiz but plan additional sale, says CEO Comolli

Italian giants Juventus are preparing for financial adjustments after missing out on next season’s UEFA Champions League, with chief executive Damien Comolli confirming the club may need to sell another player to balance its books.

Juventus finished sixth in Serie A, securing a place in the Europa League instead of Europe’s premier club competition. The setback is expected to significantly affect the club’s revenue ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

In an interview published Wednesday by Italian newspaper la Repubblica, Comolli said the club’s transfer strategy would need to change following a disappointing season.

“We will have to sell one more player than we had planned,” Comolli said. “This does not mean we will weaken. Every player sold will be replaced by one of equal level, if not higher.”

Despite the financial pressure, Comolli made it clear that highly rated Turkish winger Kenan Yildiz is not for sale.

“Certainly not,” he said when asked about the possibility of selling the young forward.

Comolli also expressed a desire to keep Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic, although he admitted uncertainty remains regarding the player’s future.

“We would like to continue, how I don’t know,” Comolli said. “He told us, let’s meet at the end of the season. That’s it.”

The Juventus executive also denied reports of tension between himself and head coach Luciano Spalletti, emphasizing that the pair maintain a strong working relationship.

“It is false. My relationship with Luciano is constant and positive, also on a personal level,” Comolli said.

He added that he personally pushed for Spalletti’s contract extension, believing the Italian manager is the right person to lead the club’s long-term rebuild.

Comolli outlined a three-to-five-year project aimed at restoring Juventus to the top of Italian and European football, though he acknowledged supporters are eager for immediate success.

“Our objective is to put the team in a position to win,” he said. “We do not know when that will be. I cannot say whether it will be next year or the year after.”

According to Italian football finance outlet Calcio e Finanza, Juventus are projected to earn around 14.6 million euros from the Europa League next season, far below the estimated 42.6 million euros they could have received from Champions League participation.

The financial gap is expected to play a major role in the club’s transfer decisions as Juventus attempt to rebuild while remaining competitive domestically and in Europe. -Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters