Liverpool have been linked with a $44m move for a teenaged Juventus wonderkid, with the Turkish forward being labeled as ‘more talented’ than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kenan Yıldız is a fast learner. The teenager was signed to great fanfare by Juventus in the summer of 2022 from Bayern Munich on a free transfer. Yıldız then spent a year in Juve’s youth team, aptly named Juventus Next Gen, with the Italian giants being one of the only few teams to employ an U23 side in Serie C.
Yıldız made 14 appearances for Juve Next Gen before he made the step up to the first team last summer. Big things were expected of the young Turk, but Max Allegri wasn’t particularly impressed with him after he was handed his debut in the dying minutes of the 3-0 win against Udinese on the opening day of the season.
For Allegri, Yıldız’s feet weren’t the problem, but more his hands: “Tomorrow he’ll cut his hair because he’s touched it 100 times; tomorrow he’ll cut it, and let’s do things properly,” stated Allegri in his post-match interview. Allegri is a coach who is as pragmatic as they come and for the Tuscan, Yıldız’s hair was standing in the way of his development. Yıldız promptly did what he was told, and the 18-year-old posted a picture of himself in the barbershop the following day.
Since then, he hasn’t looked back. Yet the forward has had to be patient. Juve’s lack of European football this season meant that Allegri didn’t need to rotate his squad, and with the likes of Federico Chiesa, Dušan Vlahović, Arkadiusz Milik and Moise Kean on the books, opportunities were going to be limited.
With many of Juve’s forward out of form (Vlahović, Kean, Milik) or often injured (Chiesa), Yıldız was handed his chance to shine from the beginning against Frosinone in December, and marked the occasion with a superb solo goal, coming in off the left-hand side, weaving past three Frosinone defenders in a tight space and smashing the ball hard and low into the bottom corner of the goal.
It was a wonderful piece of play from Yıldız, with his ability on the ball and willingness to run at players only something that Chiesa possesses in the current Juve squad. Since his full debut at Frosinone, Yıldız has started three of Juve’s last four games, and his partnership with Vlahović has made Allegri’s attack more potent and less one-dimensional.
In addition to coming off the left-hand side, Yıldız is adept at dropping deep, becoming a second striker and ghosting in between the lines. In Allegri’s 3-5-2 system, it becomes a 3-5-1-1 when Yıldız starts. Comparisons have been made in the Italian media to Juve legends Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero, both of whom excelled as second strikers in Bianconeri colors.
Just this week, Yıldız once again faced Frosinone, this time in the Coppa Italia, and once again produced another stunning goal, this time from a first-time volley from a floated Weston McKennie cross. There is a palpable sense of excitement from Juve fans whenever Yıldız gets on the ball, in a manner not seen at the club since Paulo Dybala was at his peak several years ago. Moreover, Turkey U19 technical director Sokyan Basar believes that Yıldız is more talented than another former Juve striker, one Cristiano Ronaldo. “His technique with the ball at his feet is superior to that of the Portuguese,” Basar said (via Goal).
Liverpool has been linked with a move for Yıldız by Italian publication La Gazzetta Dello Sport (print edition via Paisley Gates) amid Juve’s fragile financial state. It was thought earlier in the season that Juve could sacrifice him for around $44m (£34m/€40m) in order to balance the books and sign players in January, yet given his development in the meantime, there’s very little chance of that happening now. Yet the Italian outlet suggests that the influence and appeal of Jürgen Klopp could be key.
It would take an offer of huge proportions for Juve to consider letting go of Yıldız, but every player has their price, and should Liverpool raise the bar high enough, Juve isn’t in a position to refuse. It’s still very early days for the teenager, but his potential is huge and he’s a fast learner: just ask his barber.
