Who is Daniele Rugani? Italy’s Juventus defender currently on the radar of Arsenal
Football Whispers take a look at the 23-year-old centre-back ahead of a potential January move, with the Gunners interested
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JUVENTUS’ defence has been the backbone of their recent success yet it might also cost them one of their up-and-coming youngsters
The imperious trio of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini had been nicknamed the BBC – like Barcelona’s MSN or Real Madrid’s own BBC – to celebrate their union.
But even after Bonucci made the shock move to Milan in the summer there has been little opportunity for Daniele Rugani.
The 23-year-old was seen as the next generation around which the defence could be re-built. But Medhi Benatia has slotted in and now Rugani is an Arsenal transfer target.
But who is the Italian? We asked out friends at Football Whispers to profile the Juventus defender.
Who is Daniele Rugani and where does he come from?
Born in Lucca, a city in Tuscany, Rugani has long been earmarked for great things and was once called “the future of Juventus and Italian football” by Bianconeri coach Max Allegri.
However, long before any of that, the 6ft 3ins stopper grew up playing his youth football for Empoli, joining the club as a six year old.
After 12 years with the Azzurri, he joined Juventus on loan in 2012.
Too young to command a place in the first team, Rugani played for the Primavera, lifting the youth version of the Coppa Italia.
But the Turin outfit saw his enormous potential and struck a co-ownership agreement for €500,000 with Rugani remaining at Empoli.
Co-ownerships in Italian football are no more, but the deal meant the Old Lady had a stake in Rugani who could continue his development with Empoli.
And he did just that, making his professional debut the following season in Serie B.
A regular at the heart of the defence, Rugani helped his old club win promotion to Serie A as runners-up, making 40 appearances and scoring twice along the way.
Having shone in the second tier, Juventus were interested spectators as Empoli took to the top flight.
It quickly became apparent he could handle the step up and, in February 2015, Juventus forked out £3m to make him their player.
Rugani finished the campaign having played every minute of Serie A action for Empoli who secured a second season in the top flight with a 15th-place finish.
With the BBC ahead of him at Juventus, Rugani was always going to have to wait in the wings.
He watched and learned in his first two seasons, making 11 Serie A starts in each.
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Speaking in 2015, Allegri pleaded patience when addressing Rugani’s position at the Juventus Stadium.
“Daniele has a bright future ahead of him, but Juventus have three or four of the best centre-backs in Europe. It’s beyond doubt he is the future of Juventus.
Right now he needs patience and to continue training.”
This summer, though, there looked to be a changing of the guard at Juve with Bonucci moving to Milan in a £30m deal which left a gaping hole in their defence.
The only constant in Juventus’ backline this season has been Chiellini, leaving Rugani, 36-year-old Barzagli and the woefully inconsistent Benatia to do battle for starts.
While Rugani has featured more regularly this term, making 10 Serie A starts already, he is still not considered first choice – something made all the more baffling by his continued call-ups for Italy.
Though he played for the Azzurrini at the 2017 Under-21 European Championships, Rugani has also won four caps for the senior side.
What is his most likely destination in January?
Arsenal have been the most concrete link, though Rugani has also been subject of Manchester United transfer rumours with Jose Mourinho seemingly keen to add another centre-back.
The bigger question is whether Allegri will let the 23-year-old leave midway through the season.
While he hasn’t started every week, he is an important member of the squad and getting a replacement at short notice is not ideal.
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How much will he cost?
A reported £30m is Arsenal’s opening offer but that could well be driven up if Juventus are to lose Rugani in January.
One possibility might be including Shkodran Mustafi as a makeweight.
The German looked set to join Inter in the summer and could be used as bait to get a deal done.