Fiorentina Pursues Joao Mario on Loan from Juventus
Fiorentina are pushing to prise Joao Mario away from Juventus on a loan deal with an option to buy, as the full-back’s brief and stuttering spell in Turin edges towards its conclusion.
The Viola are in advanced talks, according to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, over a move that would see the Portugal international arrive on an initial loan, with an option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season for a total package of around €8-9m.
From Porto promise to Juventus afterthought
Juventus invested €12m to bring Joao Mario from FC Porto in the summer of 2025, a move that was supposed to give them a dynamic, modern full-back for the long term. It never really took off.
Thirteen appearances. One assist. That is the bare record of his time in black and white so far, a thin return for a player expected to grow into a regular starter.
Porto, who negotiated a 10 per cent sell-on clause on any profit from a future sale, now stand to gain nothing from this deal. With Juve set to accept a fee below the original €12m outlay, there is no profit to share, only a clear sign of how far his market value has fallen.
A Serie A detour in Bologna
In January, Juventus tried to reset the situation. Joao Mario was sent to Bologna as part of an exchange that saw Emil Holm move the other way. New surroundings, new coach, new chance.
He responded with 15 appearances and two goals, showing flashes of the attacking drive that first put him on Juventus’ radar. It was not enough for Bologna to commit to a permanent deal. Nor did Juventus see enough to change their long-term plans.
So he returned to Turin this summer, a player under contract but without a clear role, waiting for the next door to open.
Fiorentina sense an opportunity
That door now looks violet.
Fiorentina, always alert to underused talent at Italy’s biggest clubs, see value in a 26-year-old with Serie A experience, European minutes and something to prove. A loan with an option to buy suits everyone: the Tuscan club limit their risk, Juventus move a surplus player off the wage bill and keep a potential fee on the horizon, while Joao Mario gets continuity in a league he knows.
The structure is straightforward. Loan now. Option at the end of the season. Total outlay in the region of €8-9m if Fiorentina decide he fits.
For Joao Mario, this is more than another move on a transfer carousel. At 26, he is edging into the years when a defender is expected to be fully formed, not still searching for a foothold. If the deal goes through, Florence offers him one last, sizeable platform in Serie A to show that the player Juventus thought they were signing from Porto is still there.
