Florentino's dream player is Kenan Yildiz, but Juventus' 2030 contract was built to say no
Florentino Pérez has spent the season making it clear which Juventus player he wants next, and Kenan Yildiz is firmly back at the top of his list. Reports out of Spain and Italy this week describe the 21-year-old Turkish international as the Real Madrid president's "dream signing" for the summer, even as the structural obstacles to a deal grow rather than shrink.
Yildiz, who turned 21 on Monday, has carried Juventus' creative load this season as a No. 10. He has 10 goals and six assists in 34 Serie A appearances, plus a goal and three assists across 10 Champions League outings. Across all competitions he sits on 11 goals in 45 matches, with Luciano Spalletti building a sizable share of Juventus' attack around him since taking over from Igor Tudor in late October.
Why a 2026 move looks closed off
Juventus extended Yildiz's deal until June 2030 in February, and crucially refused to write in a release clause. CEO Damien Comolli reportedly met Yildiz's family and his agent shortly after Juventus' Champions League meeting with Real Madrid, with the explicit aim of pre-empting the Madrid bid. The wage rise was substantial, from €1.7 million to €6 million now, climbing to €7 million plus bonuses next season.
Without a clause, Madrid would have to make Juventus an offer the Italians cannot refuse. The reported starting figure if a sale is forced is €100 million, with industry talk of a price band stretching into the €110 million zone. That would put Yildiz at or beyond the level of last summer's biggest moves and is a price tag Madrid would only realistically test if Juventus' financial picture deteriorated sharply.
The Juventus pressure point
That financial picture is now wobbling. Juventus sit fourth in Serie A on 65 points, inside a five-point Champions League window with Milan above and Roma and Como behind. Three matches remain. Missing UCL qualification would not just dent revenues but also weaken the squad-retention argument with Yildiz himself, since he has been their European talisman. La Gazzetta dello Sport has flagged that a UCL miss could push Juventus into a forced-sale window, with Yildiz the obvious cash-out asset.
That is a long way from a release clause being triggered, however. Selling under pressure to a direct UCL rival is not the same as enabling Madrid to walk away with the player at a price they have planned for.
Madrid's coaching question complicates it
The other variable on Madrid's side is the dugout. Xabi Alonso left in mutual agreement on January 12 after a 3-2 Supercopa final loss to Barcelona, with Real Madrid B coach Álvaro Arbeloa taking over for the rest of the season. Spanish reporting has linked José Mourinho and Jürgen Klopp to the permanent role for 2026-27, with Mourinho seen as the most plausible Florentino pick.
That uncertainty matters for Yildiz specifically. He was originally a target Alonso had pushed for during his Bayer Leverkusen days, and the project pitch a player accepts depends on knowing who the manager will be. Until Madrid's bench is settled, the recruitment side is selling Yildiz a brand more than a tactical fit.
More likely a 2027 fight than a 2026 deal
The shape of this pursuit reads more like a multi-window campaign than a summer transfer story. Florentino has the player he wants and the cash to test the price. Juventus have the contract they want and an owner-level decision to take only if their season collapses. The most realistic scenario is a holding pattern through summer 2026 and a far harder Madrid push in 2027, when Yildiz will still be 22 and Juventus' UCL story will look very different one way or the other.
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