Transfer news: Frustration with Newcastle United loanee Nick Woltemade grows at Juventus, with three alternatives eyed

Juventus are frustrated with their new signing from the Premier League and have three alternatives in mind.

Before the break for the international fixtures, Juventus came out on a high after a good win over Atalanta, overcoming a spell of instability that had even raised questions over manager Luciano Spalletti. The team, however, saw the international period reinforce an old concern: who occupies the number nine position.

Nick Woltemade, signed this season on a one-year loan from Newcastle United with no option to buy, could have used Germany to regain confidence, as Spalletti had hoped. However, the striker ended the period in even worse form.

In his only start, a 2-0 win for the Germans over Serbia in the Nations League, he produced a woeful performance. With the goal gaping, in the six-yard box, he put wide a chance that only needed to be pushed into the net. In the air, his speciality at 1.98m, he received a perfect cross but sent his header into the advertising board.

After that display, he was a substitute in the next match, playing only 27 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Greece and finishing without a shot. The performances have set off alarm bells in Turin, and Juventus are worried. The information comes from Gazzetta dello Sport.

Woltemade not expected to stay at Juventus

Only four games for Woltemade at Juventus appear to have been enough for the club's hierarchy to decide that they will not keep the striker, even though the 24-year-old has started only one of those matches.

Coming off the bench against Milan, Sassuolo and Atalanta, he failed to score and even missed big chances. In his only start, he scored a penalty against NEC on his Europa League debut for the club.

The German striker is not a typical number nine. Despite his height, his main characteristics are linking up on the edge of the box and looking for a pass to a team-mate.

At Newcastle United, he even dropped back to play in midfield. At Stuttgart, he often played in a two-man attack alongside a more fixed centre-forward and even as a number 10.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, there are other players in the squad for the same role as the German. The mood at the club suggests Woltemade's spell will end in the middle of next year, when the loan finishes and he returns to Newcastle United.

Italian club already have three targets in sight

Also for next season, Juventus are already working on possible names for the centre of the attack, even though they have Randal Kolo Muani, who has not yet scored in Serie A.

The club's chief executive, Giovanni Carnevali, has three names on his agenda, including established players who would arrive to play and one prospect, again according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Mateo Retegui, formerly of Atalanta and Genoa and currently at Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia, is one of them. The 27-year-old striker could see a return to Italy as a way of getting back on the national team's radar, as he has not been called up since March.

Folarin Balogun, of Monaco, is another ready-made player. A standout of the last World Cup, the American striker nearly joined Everton in the last transfer window, but stayed in the principality and has so far not been important in the campaign of the Ligue 1 leaders, managed by Filipe Luis.

The last name on the list is Antonio Raimondo, of Frosinone, on loan from Bologna. The 22-year-old has stood out in this start to the season, scoring five goals and providing one assist in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. All three, however, would only be options for 2027, and it is difficult to predict how things will stand by then.

A bigger investment could depend on qualifying for next season's Champions League. There is also the scenario in which Kolo Muani or even Woltemade himself establishes himself and removes the need to sign another player. It is still far too early to say what Juventus will do.