Report: Juventus close to purchase of Schalke's Weston McKennie
FC Schalke 04 already secured €4.5 million in loan fees from Juventus for Weston McKennie over the Summer. German football magazine Kicker reports that "La vecchia Signora" are now in talks with Germany's Königsblauen to complete an outright purchase.
It looks increasingly unlikely that the 2020 USA footballer of the year will return to Gelsenkirchen. Twenty-two-year-old Weston McKennie has immediately caught on in his new home with the Italian giants of Serie A. The Texan has featured 14 times in head coach Andrea Pirlo's starting XI, settling in nicely along midfield partners Rodrigo Betancur and Adrien Rabiot.
Juventus have always been clear that the wished to exercise the purchase clause in McKennie's contract if certain sporting standards were met. Regular starts for the Texan across all competitions, along with two sensational tallies in crucial fixtures against city rivals Torino FC and Barça in the UCL, reportedly have Le Zebra ready to get the deal done now.
Kicker reports that the purchase clause approaches €18.5 million. Transfermarkt lists Mckennie's current value at €22 million.