Juventus draw up shortlist for winter striker targets

As reported byTUTTOmercatoWEB, Juventus are looking to bolster their attack line, with their current shortlist comprising Atlético Madrid's Alexander Sørloth, Monaco's Folarin Balogun, and Al-Qadsiah's Mateo Retegui. Juve's sluggish start to the season can be accredited in no small part to their forwards' struggles in front of goal.

Both Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani only have three goals apiece thus far, while young Jeff Ekhator is yet to feature, having been recovering from a hamstring strain. And so, the pressure is back on the Juve hierarchy to bring about a winter intervention and bolster the squad to revive their season.

Balogun has been tipped to leave the Principality for a while and may be available in winter, though he is likely to cost a pretty penny. Atleti may be more amenable to the idea of Sørloth's departure, even on a temporary basis.

Retegui, meanwhile, could be persuaded to return to Italy from the the Saudi Pro League for the sake of his international career. Bologna's Antonio Raimondo, currently one of the hottest properties in Serie A, is also in Juve's sights, though he's currently on loan at Frosinone and a mid-season deal may prove tricky.

A dual-pronged conundrum The Old Lady's problems in front of goal require both long- and short-term fixes. They need goals in the here and now to get their season going, which means Luciano Spalletti needs to find a solution to hang on till January and then be in a position to ask for a forward who will fir his style of play.

Beyond him, regardless of whether Juve get their goals from, they have needed a long-term answer for their goal-scoring vows for a while now and will need to address it one way or another. Woltemade and Kolo Muani have had moments, but that is all they've had.