Official: Portuguese defender Tiago Djaló joins Juventus
Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Lille’s Portuguese defender Tiago Djaló on a two-and-a-half-year deal until 2026.
Djaló was out of contract with the Ligue 1 side in the summer and joins Serie A leaders Juve for a cut-price transfer fee of €3.6m fee plus €1.5m in add-ons.
The move will be the 23-year-old’s second stint in Italy, having spent six months with AC Milan in 2019 before moving to Lille. Djaló is due to return imminently from a knee injury sustained last March, but Juventus are reportedly not considering loaning the central defender out for the remainder of the season.
The injury suffered by Djaló last season cost him an expected move to a bigger club in the summer, while also seeing Lille miss out on a more substantial fee. Djaló had become a mainstay of Paulo Fonseca’s side last term in France before his campaign was cut short, with many expecting him to earn a first senior cap for Portugal.
Djaló’s injury is perhaps a contributing factor in the contract at Juve being relatively short-term. The Bianconeri memorably suffered bad luck with fellow Portuguese defender Jorge Andrade after his arrival in 2007. However, with Djaló there is reportedly an option for the club to extend his deal by two further years until 2028.
Juventus are in fine form this season, leading the Italian league by one point, albeit with a game extra played, while also in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia where they will play Lazio in April.
By @SeanGillen9