Rome (Italy), Jan 23 (IANS) Juventus finally announced the loan move of France international Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, after the French Ligue 1 side ironed out the administrative issues. Muani had already undergone the medicals and signed the paperwork, even been training with the squad since last week, but the Serie A giant had to wait to make it official, as PSG had maxed out the quote to loan out players to foreign clubs.
PSG eventually freed up the slot for Kolo Muani’s move, as it terminated another loanee Juan Bernat’s contract and allowed him to join Villarreal on a permanent basis.
Kolo Muani has been out of favour at PSG and struggled to get into Luis Enrique’s starting lineup this season. He has only made two league starts this term despite opening the campaign with two goals in his first three games, though he remains a regular in Didier Deschamps’ France setup. In 27 appearances for France, Kolo Muani has netted eight goals, though he memorably missed a huge chance to score the winning goal in the 2022 World Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Argentina.
Kolo Muani has signed a contract until the end of the season which is a dry loan deal without a buy-out clause included, it is reported that Juve will cover all the salary for the remainder of the season, reports Xinhua. The Bianconeri’s deal for the France international will see them pay an initial loan fee of 1 million euros, plus an additional amount that could reach 2.6 million euros.
It’s a win-win operation for both sides, as Kolo Muani was struggling for playing time under Luis Enrique, only making two starts for PSG in 14 appearances across all competitions this season contributing two goals. Juve is also short of options in its attacking department. Muani has picked up the No. 20 jersey, and he is Juve’s second signing in this winter transfer window, following the defender Alberto Costa from Vitoria Guimaraes.
Juventus are currently placed fifth in the Italian Serie A with 37 points from 21 matches, with eight wins and 13 draws. They trail behind table-toppers Napoli (50 pts), Inter Milan (47), Atalanta (43) and Lazio (39).
–IANS
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