A new fullback is on his way to Turin as a seldom used summer signing heads the other way.
Emil Holm has been a name linked with Juventus a handful of time over the years when he was getting his feet wet in Serie A with Spezia. Those rumors never turned out to develop into much, with him joining Atalanta on loan and then subsequently moving to Bologna two summers ago in a permanent deal.
But now, he is set to find his way to Juventus — and in a deal that also involves a player who has been absolutely buried on the bench for both of the Bianconeri’s managers this season.
According to reports form all of the names you want to hear the reports from in Italy, Juventus and Bologna have agreed to a swap deal involving the 25-year-old Holm and out-of-favor fullback/wingback Joao Mario, who has barely played at all since Luciano Spalletti took over as manager in October. Holm will arrive at Juve on an initial loan deal with there reportedly being an option to buy in the summer, with a price tag not completely known as of this writing. Joao Mario will reportedly head to Bologna on a dry loan, according to reports.
Holm is expected to be in Turin on Sunday to undergo his medical ahead of Monday’s deadline day. Joao Mario has also reportedly left Juve’s setup ahead of Sunday night’s game against Parma and has headed out for Bologna to undergo his medical and sign his contract for the second half of the 2025-26 season.
Holm, a Swedish international, will likely be the primary backup at right back for Pierre Kalulu, who has played every single minute of every single game for Juventus so far this season. Holm has started just eight games and made 11 appearances total in Serie A for Bologna so far this season, Nadir Zortea emerging as Vincenzo Italiano’s preferred option at right back at Bologna.
Joao Mario, part of the swap deal with Porto last summer that saw Alberto Costa return to Portugal just a few months after signing with Juventus during the 2025 winter transfer window, has barely played at all under Igor Tudor and now Spalletti. He started just two games this season, and his last five appearances in Serie A have added up to a grand total of … 42 minutes.
This move is clearly about trying to give Spalletti an option in defense that he can trust much more than the little faith he had in Joao Mario to do the thing that he probably is least known for — defending. Holm is a completely different profile than Joao Mario — at 6-foot-4, he will be able to be a much larger physical presence for a backline that doesn’t have a whole lot of height and aerial ability to its name.
Category: General Sports
