Tagliafico Transfer Saga: Juventus Plot January Return as Argentine Snubs Europe's Giants

The curious case of Nicolas Tagliafico refuses to go away. The 34-year-old Argentina World Cup winner was one of the most debated names of the summer window's final days — and with the January market approaching, the saga is heating up again.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the full picture: Manchester United considered signing the Lyon left-back in the summer, with Juventus and Atletico Madrid also making attempts to land him. All three failed on deadline day — "it was too late," Romano explained — with United ultimately choosing to stop advancing on the deal themselves.

Tagliafico's situation at Lyon has only worsened since. Under Paulo Fonseca he has slipped to third-choice left-back behind Abner and 20-year-old summer signing Mohamed Ouedrago, making just three appearances all season, and his contract runs until June 2027 — close enough to its end to make a cut-price January deal realistic.

Now comes the twist: the Argentine has suggested he may snub all three European suitors and return to his home country instead, opening the door to a move back to Argentina that nobody in Turin, Manchester or Madrid saw coming.

Juventus, though, are not giving up. Multiple reports in Italy say the Bianconeri — who needed to move Juan Cabal out before completing the summer deal, and never managed it — are expected to return for Tagliafico in January, with some in Turin describing him as the "second-attempt gift" for Luciano Spalletti's squad. His Italian passport means he would not occupy a non-EU spot, and his ability to play left-back or left-sided centre-back fits exactly what Juve need.

There is a complication: Juventus are also tracking Tagliafico's Lyon team-mate Abner, the 26-year-old Brazilian who is now Fonseca's first-choice and reportedly open to the move. Lyon, for their part, will resist losing their starter mid-season far more fiercely than a 34-year-old third-choice — which may yet push Juve back toward Tagliafico.

One thing is certain: with the World Cup looming next summer and Tagliafico desperate for minutes, this January window will decide his future. Whether it is Turin, a shock return to Argentina, or somewhere else entirely, the left-back merry-go-round is only just getting started.

Cover photo: Nicolas Tagliafico with Lyon, 2022 — ESTAC Troyes / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

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