Juventus are prepared to sell Khephren Thuram this summer for a fee in the €45-50 million range, with Liverpool and Manchester United both tracking the 25-year-old French central midfielder.
According to Italian publication Tuttosport, Saudi Arabian clubs have registered serious interest in Thuram but been rebuffed by his own preference. That narrows the field considerably and hands both English clubs a cleaner run than the headline competition might suggest.
What Juventus Are Asking – and Why They Might Sell
The €45-50m figure cited by Tuttosport represents the floor of Juventus’s thinking rather than a settled valuation. Some Italian outlets have put the asking price closer to €60-70m, which means the gap between what Juventus want and what a Premier League club would consider reasonable has not yet been bridged. That is a meaningful caveat in a story that is otherwise being framed as near-inevitable.
The financial context matters. Italian reporting has linked a potential sale to Juventus needing to balance their books ahead of the June 30 accounting deadline – the kind of structural pressure that can shift a club from “not for sale” to “make us an offer” faster than sporting logic alone ever would. There is relevant background on Juventus’s current player exit strategy and scouting restructure that frames why Thuram specifically has become moveable after arriving from Nice for around €20m plus add-ons in summer 2024.
Why Both Clubs Have a Case for Pursuing Thuram
Thuram finished last season with four goals and five assists from central midfield – tidy rather than spectacular numbers, but the underlying profile is what drives the interest. He is physically imposing, covers ground aggressively, and presses with intent. Those are attributes that translate directly to the Premier League’s intensity without requiring an adaptation period that more technically delicate imports often need.
Liverpool’s interest is grounded in a specific gap. The club has been actively reassessing their midfield options, with Alexis Mac Allister’s performances having fallen short of the level expected when he arrived from Brighton. Thuram offers the kind of physical presence and ball-winning authority that Mac Allister does not naturally provide – and at 25, he is at exactly the age a club signing for the long term would want.
Manchester United’s logic is different but equally coherent. They have secured Champions League football for next season and need the squad depth and quality to compete on multiple fronts. United have already been active in midfield recruitment this window – the pursuit of Mateus Fernandes as a potential third midfield signing signals this is a coordinated rebuild rather than opportunistic shopping. Thuram would bring a defensive solidity and drive that sits alongside rather than duplicates what United are already adding.
The Competition For Thuram Is Wider Than Just Two Clubs
Liverpool and United are not the only Premier League clubs in the picture. BBC Sport’s transfer gossip column also listed Arsenal as a club monitoring Thuram’s availability, which suggests broader interest across the top six than the current framing implies.
It is also worth noting that SciSports’ modelling – cited in transfer analyst reporting – rated Newcastle as a stronger stylistic fit for Thuram than either Liverpool or United, though there is no credible reporting of Newcastle making a concrete approach.
The €50m threshold is where this deal either happens or stalls. If Juventus hold firm closer to €65m, both clubs have cheaper and arguably younger alternatives available. If the accounting pressure forces a more pragmatic conversation before the end of June, Thuram becomes one of the more straightforward midfield acquisitions on the market – a known quantity at a calculable price, rather than a development project or a speculative punt.
