Juventus Plan B in Goal: David De Gea as a Backup Option

Juventus are drawing up a Plan B in goal – and it has a very familiar face.

With Emiliano Martinez at the top of their summer shortlist but far from a guaranteed arrival, the Bianconeri are ready to turn to David De Gea if their pursuit of the Aston Villa and Argentina No. 1 collapses, according to Calciomercato.

This is not a search for a new undisputed starter. Juventus already have Michel Di Gregorio in place and want someone to push him, not immediately replace him. Martinez is seen as the ideal profile for that internal battle. But the market is ruthless, and Juve know they may have to pivot.

That is where Fiorentina’s De Gea enters the frame.

De Gea’s renaissance in Florence

A year and a half ago, De Gea looked like a relic of a previous era, a free agent drifting on the fringes of the elite game. Florence changed that.

The 35-year-old has rebuilt his reputation at Fiorentina, stringing together back-to-back solid campaigns in Serie A. Last season he produced 10 clean sheets in 37 league appearances, following on from 11 shutouts in his debut year in Italy.

The numbers behind the headline tell a similar story. His goals-prevented figure climbed to +1.06 last season, up from 0.59 the year before – modest, but clear evidence that he still reads the game and reacts at a level fit for a top division.

Fiorentina leaned heavily on that experience. De Gea played a central role in steadying a side that had flirted dangerously with the relegation battle after “flying too close to the sun” in previous campaigns. When the pressure rose, he did not fold.

Those traits are exactly what attract Juventus. The hierarchy believe De Gea offers the experience, personality and leadership Luciano Spalletti wants around Di Gregorio. In a dressing room that has lost some of its old iron core over the years, that matters.

The old temptation

Yet the name also triggers a familiar alarm.

Juve have spent much of the last decade reaching for veteran solutions – short-term patches instead of long-term pillars. De Gea, for all his pedigree, fits that pattern. He would arrive as a stop-gap, not a cornerstone.

At 35, he can still “do a job”, as the cliché goes. He can manage a title race, handle Champions League nights, calm a defence in chaos. But he will not be the face of Juventus in five years’ time. He will not grow with Di Gregorio. He will not appreciate in value.

That is the crux of the debate inside and outside the club: do Juventus want another seasoned name, or a goalkeeper who can define an era?

A market full of missed chances

Across Europe, the market is crowded with younger goalkeepers ready to take the next step – players with the hunger and upside to push an incumbent and eventually claim the No. 1 shirt outright. Profiles who fit a modern rebuild, not just a one- or two-year patch.

Those are the types that could shadow Di Gregorio, challenge him, maybe even overtake him, while giving the club a long-term solution between the posts. Instead, Juventus keep circling back to players approaching the final stretch of their careers.

That habit has already taken a toll. Years of short-term thinking have eroded the squad’s athletic base and resale value. The club has repeatedly paid for experience and name recognition rather than projection and potential.

De Gea would bring gravitas. He would bring a voice, a presence, a body of work that commands instant respect. What he would not bring is a clear step forward for the project.

So the choice is stark. If Martinez cannot be prised away and De Gea becomes truly available, Juventus will have a tempting, comfortable option on the table. But if the ambition in Turin is really to build a side capable of dominating Serie A again and standing toe-to-toe with Europe’s best, the smarter move may be the hardest one:

Walk past the famous name, and finally bet big on the future.