Juventus Considers De Gea as Backup to Martinez

Juventus are drawing up a familiar Plan B.

With Emiliano Martinez at the top of their summer wishlist, the Bianconeri are already bracing for the possibility that Aston Villa’s World Cup winner may prove out of reach. According to reports in Italy, Fiorentina’s David De Gea has been identified as the alternative – a move that would say as much about Juventus’ short-term instincts as it would about their ambition.

De Gea, the veteran safety net

The brief is clear: find a goalkeeper who can push Michel Di Gregorio and keep standards high. Martinez is the preferred choice, but there is no guarantee Juventus can prise him away. So the gaze turns across Tuscany.

De Gea, now 35, has quietly rebuilt his reputation in Florence. After a spell out of the game as a free agent, he has rolled back the years in Serie A, delivering 10 clean sheets in 37 league appearances last season, following 11 shutouts in his debut campaign.

The underlying numbers back up the eye test. His goals-prevented figure climbed to +1.06 last season, up from 0.59 the year before – a steady, tangible improvement that underlines his continued competence at the top level.

Fiorentina leaned heavily on that experience. The former Spain international played a key role in dragging them away from danger after flirting far too closely with the relegation battle. When the pressure rose, De Gea’s composure and leadership helped steady a wobbling side.

It is exactly that profile – experience, personality, a commanding voice in the dressing room – that appeals to Luciano Spalletti. Juventus believe De Gea fits the template of the authoritative presence their coach wants behind a reshaped defence.

A familiar trap for Juventus

Yet this is where the debate around Juventus turns sharper.

De Gea would almost certainly “do a job” for the Old Lady. He would add know-how, raise the training ground tempo, and offer a reliable option if Di Gregorio falters. On paper, it makes sense.

But Juventus have been here before.

Time and again, the club has turned to veterans to plug gaps rather than building a coherent long-term structure. Short-term solutions have piled up, the squad has aged, and the overall level has eroded. Chasing another seasoned name risks becoming one more step down the same worn path.

At a moment when Juventus talk openly about rebuilding a side capable of dominating Serie A again and reasserting themselves in Europe, the goalkeeper position should be part of that reset. The role demands planning, not patchwork.

The case for a different kind of signing

The alternative is obvious and increasingly unavoidable. Juventus need a young, ambitious goalkeeper who can grow with the project, challenge Di Gregorio immediately, and realistically become the club’s long-term No. 1.

Europe’s market is rich with such profiles: keepers with raw talent, modern skill sets, and room to develop into elite operators. Those are the players a club with Juventus’ stature should be targeting – not just to compete this season, but to shape the next five.

Instead, the links keep circling back to those nearing the twilight of their careers. It is a pattern that has already contributed to the squad’s gradual decline, chipping away at athleticism, resale value, and tactical flexibility.

De Gea remains a capable, even attractive, option for a club looking for stability. But stability is not the same as progression.

If Juventus are serious about turning a new page rather than rereading the old one, the decision in goal will be a telling marker: another veteran stopgap, or a bold investment in the future?