Norberto Neto was always in pole position to replace the injured Kamil Grabara as Guglielmo Vicario’s deputy. He’s expected to fly in for the medicals and to put pen to paper in short order, Corriere dello Sport reports.
The free agent pool doesn’t offer much. The Brazilian has been picked over Sergio Rico and Jesper Cillessen. A few things worked in his favor. For instance, he already spent 2 seasons with the Bianconeri between 2015 and 2017, making 22 appearances while backing up Gianluigi Buffon.
Neto and Juventus are finalizing a cheap contract until 2027, when the team will re-assess the position, considering that Vicario and Grabara are both on loan. The veteran was a starter for Botafogo just a few months ago. He kept 5 clean sheets and conceded 25 goals in 22 games. He has the same agents as Douglas Luiz, Giuliano Bertolucci and Kia Joorabchian.
The 37-year-old started for a couple of campaigns at Valencia after leaving Turin, then served as the deputy for Barcelona and Arsenal before and after a solid stint at Bournemouth between 2022 and 2024, then headed back to his home country.
As for the alternatives, Rico is coming off a spell at Al-Gharafa in Dubai, while Cillesen played for NEC Nijmegen last year.
Our Take on Juventus and Neto
It’s slim pickings at this time of year, and they are lucky to have any serviceable option. The fact that they play in the UEFA Europa League and not in the top continental cup reduces the pressure at the position. He’ll at most relieve the starter a couple of times in some cupcake match-ups there and in the Coppa Italia.
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