Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus have agreed a season-long loan deal for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, ending the Italian's three-year spell in North London and sending him back to Serie A after losing his starting spot at Spurs.
The Deal Breakdown
- Move: Season-long loan from Tottenham to Juventus
- Option to Buy: Around £8.5m (€10m), structured as a non-mandatory purchase option
- Age: 29-year-old Italian international
- Tottenham Appearances: 117 across three seasons, including the club's 2024-25 UEFA Europa League triumph
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Tottenham accepted Juventus's loan proposal, with the deal expected to close quickly. The buy clause gives Juventus the chance to assess Vicario's performances throughout the season before committing to a permanent transfer.
Why He's Leaving Spurs
Vicario's departure comes down to one simple reality: he's lost his place as Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper. New head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed Antonín Kinsky as his No. 1 for the upcoming season, with Kinsky earning the shirt after a string of impressive performances during the final stretch of last season that helped steer Spurs clear of relegation trouble — this despite Kinsky having endured some notorious errors under previous manager Igor Tudor in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid.
Vicario's own campaign had been mixed, and he didn't feature for Spurs at all after undergoing hernia surgery in March. By the time he was fit again, Kinsky had made the position his own. According to reports, it was actually Vicario himself who approached De Zerbi and asked for permission to return to his homeland, rather than being pushed out — a mutual parting rather than a straightforward exile. With Martin Dúbravka also arriving from Burnley as backup cover, the goalkeeping picture at Tottenham had simply moved on without him. Vicario watched from the stands during Tottenham's pre-season friendly win over Hoffenheim, a fairly clear signal of where things stood.
How Juventus Ended Up at Vicario — A Chaotic Weekend of Dominoes
This wasn't Juventus's first choice, second choice, or even really their plan at the start of the summer. It took a genuinely chaotic run of collapsed deals to get here.
Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti initially placed Argentina World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez high on his goalkeeping wishlist, but talks with Aston Villa stalled over the 33-year-old's valuation — an €8.5m offer from Juventus was reportedly rejected outright by Villa. With that door closing, Juventus pivoted to Parma's young Japanese international Zion Suzuki, only to see Paris Saint-Germain move in on that deal too.
Then came the twist: Suzuki's proposed move to PSG fell through entirely, which handed Aston Villa the opening to swoop in and agree a fee of around £29.9m (€35m) with Parma for Suzuki themselves. That, in turn, briefly reopened the door for Martínez to move to Juventus after all, since Villa now had his replacement lined up — but concerns within Juventus over Martínez's recent finger injury and fitness ultimately killed that route for good.
With both preferred targets gone and Juventus's defence already stretched thin by injuries heading into their Champions League opener against Galatasaray, Spalletti moved decisively and accelerated talks with Tottenham over Vicario as a reliable, experienced fallback option. Vicario, notably, was also a target for both Juventus and Inter Milan even before his original 2023 move to Tottenham from Empoli — making this something of a homecoming that had quietly been on the cards for years.
A Tactical Fit for Spalletti's System
Spalletti has been keen to add a goalkeeper comfortable playing out from the back — a trait Vicario showed consistently during his time in North London, having been specifically brought to Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou in 2023 for exactly that ball-playing profile. Juventus staff believe a return to the tactical rhythms of Serie A could help him rediscover his best form after a difficult end to his Tottenham spell.
What Happens Next
With the agreement in place, attention turns to the formalities and Vicario's medical, after which he'll link up with his new teammates in Turin. Juventus will be hoping he's settled in quickly enough to feature when the new season begins — the goalkeeping situation between Villa, Juventus, and Tottenham having finally, after a frantic weekend, sorted itself out.
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