Juventus opens the door for Icardi to return to Serie A in January

Mauro Icardi is a candidate to return to Serie A during the upcoming winter transfer window, as Juventus are considering him as a potential attacking option to strengthen their squad for the second half of the season.

Former Galatasaray striker Randal Kolo Muani is keen to return to Italy, with Juventus currently the most serious option for his signing in January, especially as he has been a free agent since June and is willing to lower his financial demands and accept a secondary role within the team.

Giuseppe Marotta, Inter's president, has ruled out the possibility of Mauro Icardi returning to the club, despite the player's repeated attempts to offer his services to the Nerazzurri management since the beginning of last summer, and his willingness to even accept the role of fifth striker in exchange for a reduction in his salary.

Marotta, in statements to "Sky Sport", responded to news regarding the possibility of the Argentine striker's return: "I don't know if he has offered himself to us, but he certainly hasn't done so with us."

He added: "It is also nice to see a player who has contributed a lot to Inter thinking this way, but honestly, he is not part of our plans, and we are not planning to sign a new striker; we have four strikers, and it has happened that at least three of them have been absent at the same time, but these are just exceptional circumstances."

Following Inter's stance, speculation has increased regarding Juventus' interest in signing the player, especially since his coach Luciano Spalletti knows Icardi well after overseeing his training during his best times with Inter. Reports suggest that the coach was not entirely satisfied with the attacking reinforcements for the team, including Randal Kolo Muani and Nick Voltmaide.

Juventus has received approval to increase its capital by €250 million, with expectations that part of this funding will be allocated to support the team with new signings in the upcoming periods.

Mauro Icardi was previously close to a move to Juventus last January while still under contract with Galatasaray, but the deal fell through. He was also close to joining SS Lazio before negotiations stalled due to coach Gennaro Gattuso's refusal to complete the transfer.

The 33-year-old forward concluded his journey with Galatasaray on July 1st, after five seasons with the Turkish team, during which he scored 77 goals and provided 25 assists in 134 matches. He also won four domestic league titles, a domestic cup, and a super cup, and was awarded the Player of the Year in 2023.

Mauro Icardi's performance was affected by a serious injury he sustained during the 2024-2025 season, before returning to the pitch the following August. However, he was unable to regain his starting position, especially after the arrival of Victor Osimhen, leading Galatasaray to decide against renewing his contract.

In statements to the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica", Icardi confirmed his wish to return to Italy and did not rule out the possibility of wearing the Inter shirt again, saying: "I lived important years in the Inter shirt, and the captain's armband was part of my personality. The ending was painful, and I want to close this circle in a different way."

He concluded: "But the return will not be logical unless there is mutual trust and a common goal."