Tottenham Hotspur have given the green light to a loan move for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, with Juventus poised to bring the Italy international back to Serie A. The 29-year-old is expected to travel to Turin shortly to finalise the switch, which comes with a non-mandatory purchase option worth £8.6m.
The move represents a significant change of fortune for Vicario, who arrived in north London in 2023 from Empoli in a £17.2m deal and went on to make 117 appearances for Spurs. Despite his solid record, he found himself out of favour after manager Roberto de Zerbi opted to hand the number one shirt to Antonin Kinsky, who impressed as understudy last term. De Zerbi has since made clear that Kinsky will continue as his preferred choice between the posts heading into the new campaign, with Martin Dubravka also brought in on a free transfer from Burnley in July to add further competition for the position.
Juventus' interest in Vicario emerged after their pursuit of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez fell through. The Argentine had been strongly linked with a move to Turin, but Villa are now closing in on a deal to sign Zion Suzuki from Parma, effectively ending Juventus' hopes of landing Martinez. Complicating matters further, Martinez has been sidelined with a finger injury and was unavailable for selection, which appears to have accelerated the Italian club's shift in focus toward Vicario as an alternative option.
For Tottenham, the departure of Vicario forms part of a wider summer overhaul as the club continues a record-breaking spending spree. Spurs have already brought in six new players this window and are reportedly still working on two further additions in attack, underlining the scale of the club's ambitions to strengthen the squad following De Zerbi's arrival.
Alongside incoming reinforcements, Tottenham have also been active in trimming their squad, moving on several players from the previous first-team setup. Former captain Cristian Romero has departed, while England international Djed Spence and Yves Bissouma have also left the club through sales, loans, or releases as De Zerbi looks to reshape the squad in his own image.
Vicario's exit leaves Kinsky and Dubravka as the senior options in goal for Spurs going into the new season, with the club seemingly satisfied that the pairing offers sufficient depth and competition at the position. The Italian's move to Juventus, meanwhile, gives him the chance for regular football back in Serie A, a division he left just two years ago when he made the switch to the Premier League.
Should the loan move go through as expected, it will mark the end of a two-year spell in England for Vicario, during which he established himself as a reliable presence for Tottenham before being displaced by Kinsky's rise. The structure of the deal, including the option to make the move permanent, suggests Juventus see him as a genuine long-term solution between the posts rather than simply a short-term fix following the collapse of their move for Martinez.
With the transfer window still open, further movement at both clubs cannot be ruled out, but for now the focus turns to finalising the paperwork that will send Vicario back to Italian football.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.