4 European Under-21 Stars Who Should Be on Juventus' Radar

In recent years, Juventus have made a point of recruiting the best young talent available, clearly seeking to build a sustainable squad for the future as they maximise their current dominance of Italian football.

That policy has allowed director general Beppe Marotta to bring the likes of Alvaro Morata, Paul Pogba and Stefano Sturaro to Turin, and it has also given homegrown players such as Filippo Romagna—profiled previously in this column—space to flourish.

There is little doubt that Marotta and the Bianconeri would be paying close attention to the Under-21 European Championships currently taking place in the Czech Republic. Eight of the continent’s best sides are taking part, with many highly regarded players on show, a number of whom might prove useful to Juventus.

Over the following pages is a brief look at four such talents—names that should be prominent in the thoughts of Italian football’s grand Old Lady—one for each area of the team.

Goalkeeper: Nicola Leali (Cesena and Italy)

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Already owned by Juventus, Nicola Leali spent the 2014/15 season on loan with Cesena, unable to prevent the Seahorses from suffering immediate relegation back to Serie B. The 22-year-old made 28 appearances, statistics from the Fox Soccer website showing he conceded 49 goals and kept three clean sheets in what was undoubtedly a difficult campaign.

His immediate future is currently unclear, but Leali might yet get a chance to show his value in Turin eventually. That could be especially true as both Gigi Buffon and his deputy, Marco Storari, grow older, with Juventus clearly needing to rejuvenate the goalkeeper position.

Defender: Davide Zappacosta (Atalanta and Italy)

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The regular right-back for Luigi Di Biagio’s Italy side at this level, Davide Zappacosta has already begun to attract attention. Just last week, La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) linked the 23-year-old with a move to Liverpool, testament to how highly regarded the Atalanta youth sector is across the continent.

Playing 29 games for the Bergamo-based club, Zappacosta weighed in with three goals and one assists, while statistics from WhoScored.com show he averaged 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per outing.

Midfielder: Bernado Silva (AS Monaco and Portugal)

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Juventus and Bernado Silva crossed paths in the Champions League quarter-finals this season, with the 20-year-old AS Monaco star undoubtedly catching the eye. Having begun his career with Benfica, the midfielder moved to the Principality last summer and contributed 10 goals and four assists in an impressive campaign.

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Bernardo Silva: Completed more successful dribbles (21) than any other player in the Euro U21 group stages #U21EURO pic.twitter.com/UdlbwApZwA

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 25, 2015"

Already a full international for Portugal, he is a player who may move to one of Europe’s bigger clubs in the future, and Juventus would do well to keep a close eye on his progress.

Attacker: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo and Italy)

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The name of Domenico Berardi is already hugely familiar to fans of Juventus, as the 20-year-old has been co-owned by the Bianconeri for the last two years. Despite clearly being a supremely talented forward, last week saw the Turin giants relinquish their share in the player, announcing that Sassuolo had paid €10 million to own him outright.

It is widely believed the Italian champions retain a buy-back clause for the player, however, according to Miles Chambers of Goal.com, and that he may well join them next summer. Whatever the reasons for that decision, it is hoped he does one day pull on the famous black-and-white stripes—his ability is clear to anyone who has watched him play.

In just 61 top-flight appearances, Berardi has registered 31 goals and 16 assists, and—while questions remain over his temperament—there is little doubt of the impact he has made with the Neroverdi.