It's been a difficult season for Juventus and their fans, and unfortunately, one of their star players, Weston McKennie, may have to pay a price.
The American midfielder has been one of the brightest lights for Andrea Pirlo's sides, but unfortunately, despite this, the Bianconeri were unable to win a tenth straight Scudetto as Inter successfully won their first league title since 2010 and their 19th overall this season. Juventus were also knocked out of the Champions League at the first knockout round for the second straight year and although Pirlo won the Supercoppa Italiana, it doesn't look like that will be enough to save his career - even if Juventus hopefully beat Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final on May 19th.
In August, Juventus paid $5.4 million (€4.5m/£3.8m) to sign the Texan-born McKennie from Schalke on a loan option to buy deal, and due to his impressive performances in the middle of the park, decided to offer him a deal in March worth $22.3 million (€18.5m/£15.9m) plus an additional $7.8 million (€6.5m/£5.6m) in performance-related bonuses.
McKennie's contract is expected to last until June 2025, making him the first American international to ink a permanent deal with the Turin titans.
However, new reports indicate that just two months later, this historic deal could be shockingly scuppered. As per Calciomercato.com, Juventus have hit a rough patch financially, especially with their early exit from the Champions League, reduced attendance due to COVID-19 and now potentially the Bianconeri not even qualifying for next season's Champions League.
McKennie is one player who's garnered quite a bit of interest from other European teams, namely the Premier League, and the same report claims that in order to make a profit, Juventus would need to sell their young star for at least €30 million. In addition, they'd have to do so before June 30th in order to have his sale clear as part of the 2020/2021 fiscal year.
It'd be shocking to see him go, especially just months after offering him a professional contract, but stranger things have happened in football.
