Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with Juventus for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to join the Serie A club on a season-long loan, with the option to make the transfer permanent next year for a fee reported at £8.6m.
The move brings an end to a summer of speculation for the 29-year-old Italy international, who had reportedly asked new Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi for permission to leave and return to his home country after three years in north London. De Zerbi is understood to have sanctioned the exit after young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky impressed during the final stretch of last season, helping steady the club during a run that secured Premier League survival. Kinsky has since been installed as Spurs' first-choice goalkeeper, with De Zerbi further strengthening his goalkeeping options by signing experienced Slovakian stopper Martin Dubravka on a free transfer.
Juventus' path to Vicario was far from straightforward. The Turin club had initially prioritized a move for Aston Villa's Emiliano Martínez, the Argentina World Cup winner, but talks stalled after Villa rejected a €10m bid over the weekend. Martínez, who is also currently dealing with a finger injury, has since fallen out of Juventus' plans entirely.
Before turning back to Martínez as a fallback option, Juventus had also explored a loan deal for Parma's Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, even as Paris Saint-Germain appeared to be closing in on the player. That deal for Suzuki ultimately fell through, and Villa moved swiftly to sign the Parma stopper for a fee in the region of £30m, closing off that route for Juventus and briefly reviving hopes of a Martínez switch before it too collapsed.
With options narrowing and time running short before the new Serie A season, Juventus accelerated talks with Tottenham over the weekend and finalized the loan agreement for Vicario, positioning him to be available for the club's opening league fixture away at Frosinone on Sunday.
Vicario joined Tottenham from Empoli in 2023 for a fee of £17.2m and went on to make almost 120 appearances for the club, playing a key role in Spurs' Europa League triumph last season. However, his final campaign in north London proved difficult as his form dipped and he ultimately lost his starting spot to Kinsky.
The goalkeeper's departure adds to what has already been an eventful transfer window for Tottenham, who have now seen a string of first-team players leave the club this summer, including Cristian Romero, Djed Spence, Will Lankshear and Yves Bissouma. Senegal midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, valued at around £30m, is also attracting interest from Everton and Nottingham Forest and could be the next to depart.
On the incoming front, Spurs have already committed more than £200m to six new signings this summer as De Zerbi reshapes his squad. The club remains keen on landing Manchester City forward Savinho, who was left out of Manchester City's matchday squad for a recent fixture and is believed to be open to a move to north London. Tottenham have also been strongly linked with a move for Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo as De Zerbi looks to add further firepower to his attacking options ahead of the new season.
Based on reporting from Press Association (via Independent) and The Guardian.