There's something almost poetic about the timing. Forty-eight hours after watching Brahim Díaz balloon a panenka into Édouard Mendy's arms in Rabat, Youssef En-Nesyri finds himself at the centre of Juventus's most pressing January dilemma. The man who held his nerve from twelve yards to send Morocco past Nigeria in the semi-finals now looks set to swap Istanbul for Turin.
According to Foot Mercato, the 28-year-old has reached a personal agreement with the Bianconeri. Fenerbahçe and Juventus are in advanced talks, with Turkish sources expressing growing confidence that a deal will be finalised in the coming days. The structure? A loan, potentially with an option to buy.
The striker crisis nobody predicted
Cast your mind back to last summer. Juventus brought in Jonathan David on a free transfer from Lille and splashed out on Loïs Openda from RB Leipzig. The messaging was clear: Dušan Vlahović's days were numbered, and a new era was beginning up front.
Fast forward to January, and that plan has spectacularly backfired. David has managed five goals in 27 appearances. Openda? Just two in 23 games. For context, Vlahović — the man supposedly being phased out — remains the team's top scorer despite his injury troubles.
Journalist Giovanni Guardalà didn't mince words when assessing the situation for Tuttojuve: "When two strikers who are expected to provide a lot of goals have scored three league goals combined, David two and Openda one, it's clear there can be no satisfaction."
Former Italy international Francesco Graziani, a 1982 World Cup winner, was even more direct on Rai Sport: "Juventus absolutely need to think about making changes up front. Neither Openda nor David are ideal players for this team. Without Yıldız, this team is always beatable."
Why En-Nesyri makes sense
On paper, the Moroccan international ticks several boxes Luciano Spalletti desperately needs filled. Standing at 6ft 2in, he offers a physical presence that neither David nor Openda provides. His aerial ability is exceptional — something Juventus have sorely lacked in the final third this season.
The numbers at Fenerbahçe tell a decent story: seven goals in fifteen league appearances this campaign, following a 20-goal haul in 34 matches last season. He arrived in Istanbul for €20 million from Sevilla in July 2024, signing a contract until 2029. That deal now looks increasingly like it won't run its course.
What's particularly interesting is his AFCON 2025 tournament. While he didn't start most games — Ayoub El Kaabi was Walid Regragui's preferred option — En-Nesyri delivered when it mattered. That ice-cold penalty against Nigeria in the semi-final shootout, slotted home after Hamza Igamane had missed, showed exactly the composure Juventus have been lacking.
The Mateta saga and its fallout
En-Nesyri wasn't the first name on Cristiano Giuntoli's list. Jean-Philippe Mateta was the preferred target, and personal terms had been largely agreed with the Crystal Palace striker. But the deal collapsed spectacularly. Palace wanted €40 million. The player's entourage demanded eye-watering commissions. Juventus walked away.
According to Sky Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio, the Bianconeri pivoted to En-Nesyri almost immediately once the Mateta negotiations stalled. A crucial meeting with Fenerbahçe was held earlier today, and early indications suggest both parties are aligned on the broad terms.
There's competition, though. Antonio Conte's Napoli have been monitoring the situation closely, viewing En-Nesyri as a potential solution to their own attacking deficiencies. With Lorenzo Lucca reportedly heading out on loan — possibly to Nottingham Forest — the Partenopei need reinforcements too.
The bigger picture
If this move happens, it won't just be about filling a gap for the second half of the season. It's an admission that Juventus got their summer planning badly wrong. David and Openda were supposed to be the future. Instead, they've been part of the problem.
En-Nesyri isn't a superstar. He's not going to transform Juventus into title contenders overnight. But he's proven, experienced, and — crucially — available. Sometimes, in the middle of a striker crisis, that's exactly what you need.
The 92-cap international has spent his entire senior career proving doubters wrong. From Málaga to Leganés to Sevilla to Fenerbahçe, he's consistently found a way to score goals. At this point, Spalletti would take that over potential any day of the week.
The next 48 hours should be decisive. And somewhere in Istanbul, a Moroccan striker nursing the disappointment of a lost AFCON final might just be packing his bags for Turin.
