Fiorentina Targets Joao Mario in Loan Deal with Juventus

Fiorentina are closing in on Joao Mario, sensing an opportunity in a player Juventus no longer see in their future.

The Viola are in advanced talks with Juve to take the Portuguese full-back on loan with an option to buy, in a deal expected to total around €8-9 million, according to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio. For a defender signed for €12m from FC Porto in the summer of 2025, it underlines how sharply his stock has fallen in Turin.

Porto, who inserted a 10 per cent sell-on clause on any future profit, stand to gain nothing from this move. There is no profit to share. The fee being discussed would confirm a loss on Juventus’ original investment, and Porto’s percentage is wiped out in the process.

Joao Mario’s time at Juventus never really started. In a season and a half, the 26-year-old managed only 13 appearances and a single assist, never convincing a succession of coaches that he could be a long-term solution on the flank.

In January, Juventus sent him to Bologna as part of an exchange that brought Emil Holm to Turin. That switch offered a fresh stage and, for a while, a hint of revival. Joao Mario played 15 times for Bologna and scored twice, showing more of the attacking thrust that first drew Juventus to him.

The audition, though, didn’t turn into a permanent contract. Bologna passed. Juventus brought him back, but only as a player to move on again.

Now Fiorentina are ready to step in, aiming to keep him in Serie A and betting that his best version can still be unlocked in Florence. A loan with an option to buy limits their risk and gives them a season to judge whether he can become a long-term piece of their back line.

For Juventus, the deal would quietly close the chapter on a signing that never matched expectations. For Joao Mario, it could be the last big chance to prove he belongs at the sharp end of Italian football.