For the better part of the last 25 years, the starting goalkeeper position at Juventus has basically been occupied by two main names. The first is the GOAT of all goalkeepers, with the second being Wojciech Szczesny, the one signed to replace Gianluigi Buffon when he decided to spend a year in Paris before returning to Turin.

It's safe to say that the bar is high for the latest goalkeeper to join Juventus and take over the starting gloves at the Allianz Stadium.

The man following in the footsteps of Buffon and Szczesny is Michele Di Gregorio, who has finalized his long-awaited move to Juventus with his medical exams and contract signing. The 27-year-old former Inter Milan youth product - who, thankfully, has properly unfollowed the reigning Serie A champions on Instagram! - arrives from Monza on a season-long loan worth EUR4.5 million with an obligation to buy, Juventus have announced. The total price of the deal will end up being EUR18 million, with Juve set to pay EUR13.5 million plus another potential EUR2 million in potential bonuses over to Monza come next summer when the obligation to buy is activated.

Di Gregorio, who was named as the top goalkeeper in Serie A this past season, is Juventus' second official signing of the summer after the club announced the players-plus-cash swap deal involving now-former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz last weekend.

Ufficiale | Michele Di Gregorio e un nuovo giocatore della Juventus!

I dettagli dell'accordo

- JuventusFC (@juventusfc) July 5, 2024 Here are the official details of the deal for Di Gregorio, courtesy of the Juventus press office:

Turin, 5 July 2024 - Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that an agreement with AC Monza for the temporary acquisition, until 30 June 2025, of the registration rights of the player Michele Di Gregorio has been reached for a consideration of EUR 4.5 million for sporting season 2024/2025.

The agreement further entails the obligation for Juventus to definitely acquire the player's registrations rights, subject to the achievement of certain sporting objective during the season 2024/2025. The agreed consideration for the definitive acquisition is EUR 13.5 million, payable in three financial years, with additional costs up to EUR 0.8 million. This consideration may be increased up to a maximum of EUR 2 million over the duration of the player's contract, upon the achievement of further performance objectives.

Given the high probability of the above conditions being achieved, for accounting purposes, this transaction qualifies as a definitive acquisition effective from today for a total amount of EUR18 million. It should be noted that the final evaluations about the accounting recognition of the transaction will be performed for the purpose of preparing the Half-Year Financial Report as of 31 December 2024, the approval of which is expected in February 2025.

Over the last two years, Di Gregorio has burst onto the scene and proven to be one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A. As much as Monza's rise to being a solid mid-table team has been a surprise to many, Di Gregorio going from somebody who had three separate loan spells in his early 20s before arriving at Monza has been just the equally impressive.

Di Gregorio has proven to be a quality shot stopper - he had the third-highest save percentage in Serie A last season - but also gives new Juventus manager Thiago Motta a goalkeeper who can do what he requires when it comes to distribution from the back. For all of the good things that Szczesny does in goal - and he is a very good shot stopper in his own right - Di Gregorio is very much an upgrade with his feet, something that Motta has previously stated is very important to his team.

Sp after six seasons of Szczesny starting in goal and nearly two decades of the GOAT before him, a new era is about to begin between the sticks at Juventus.

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