Jhon Lucumí would leave Bologna after four seasons to join Juventus on the basis of around twenty million euros plus add-ons. The medical was set for today according to the Italian sports press, with an official statement expected shortly. It is a move best understood through a technical detail that usually ends up at the bottom of the article: the foot the defender kicks with.
The deal at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Jhon Janer Lucumí Bonilla |
| Age | 28 (26 June 1998) |
| Position | Centre-back, left-footed |
| Height | 1.87 m |
| From | Bologna |
| To | Juventus |
| Reported fee | around 20 million euros plus add-ons |
| Contract | five years according to reports |
| International | Colombia, 42 caps and 1 goal |
The player leaving Bologna
Lucumí was born in Cali and came through Deportivo Cali, where he made his professional debut in 2016. In 2018 he joined Genk in Belgium, where four seasons brought 91 appearances and two goals, a league title in 2018-19 and the domestic cup in 2020-21.
He arrived at Bologna in 2022 and became a fixture: one hundred and twenty-three appearances and one goal, with the Coppa Italia lifted in 2024-25. For his country he has 42 caps and one goal, three Copa América tournaments behind him and the World Cup that has just finished.
Why the left foot matters this much
In a back four the left-sided centre-back almost always receives the ball on the foot furthest from goal. If he is right-footed he needs an extra movement: control, adjust, then pass. That movement costs half a second, which is exactly the time an opposing forward needs to close five metres and change the nature of the play.
A left-footer in that position skips the intermediate step. He receives and plays, and he can go out towards the touchline as naturally as he goes inside. Public readings of Lucumí’s last season put him around ninety per cent passing accuracy and among the league’s best for completed long passes, which is the statistical way of describing the same thing.
Left-footed centre-backs of a good level are a minority in any league, because youth football’s natural selection produces many more right-footers. It is a structural scarcity, and scarcity is paid for.
What Bologna lose
For Bologna this is the sale of a regular who lived through the club’s whole recent cycle, from European qualification to the Coppa Italia. Twenty million for a 28-year-old with four Serie A seasons behind him is a valuation in line with the market, and cashing in now follows an obvious logic of age: in two years the same figure would not arrive.
The problem for those who stay is not the number of defenders on the books. It is that the left-centre of defence goes back to being a position covered by an adapted right-footer, unless a similar profile is signed, and at this stage of the window available left-footers are few and expensive.
How he would fit at Juventus
In the Juventus defence coached by Luciano Spalletti, Lucumí would naturally take the left-centre spot alongside Gleison Bremer, as the specialist press reads it. On paper the pairing makes sense, because it puts together two profiles that divide the work rather than overlapping: one steps forward to attack the ball, the other covers and builds.
The variable that follows every defender changing clubs with the season already under way still applies. Unit mechanics do not transfer with the registration: distances, sliding times, the moment you step out on the striker are built over weeks, and the first competitive games arrive before that work is finished.
The yardstick
A 28-year-old defender is not an investment in potential, it is a purchase of output. The right way to judge this deal twelve months from now will not be counting the goals Juventus concede, but looking at how often the build-up came out cleanly on the left.
It is an unspectacular measure, and reliable for exactly that reason: it is precisely what, if the reported figures are correct, the club would have decided to spend twenty million on.
Sources: Sky Sport Italia, Italian sports press, club communications, Wikipedia, public transfer archives and publicly available season statistics. The figures are press reports, not official contract data.
Frequently asked questions
How much would Jhon Lucumí cost Juventus?
Reports point to around twenty million euros plus add-ons for Bologna, with a five-year contract for the player. These are press figures and should be read as reports until the clubs issue an official statement.
Who is Jhon Lucumí?
A Colombian centre-back born in Cali on 26 June 1998, 1.87 m tall and left-footed. He came through Deportivo Cali, moved on to Genk and joined Bologna in 2022.
How many games has he played for Bologna?
One hundred and twenty-three appearances and one goal since 2022, including the Coppa Italia won in 2024-25. Before that he made 91 appearances for Genk, winning a league title and a cup in Belgium.
Why is a left-footed centre-back worth more?
Because in a back four the left-sided centre-back receives the ball on his weak side if he is right-footed, and has to adjust it before playing it. A left-footer in that spot saves a touch every time the team builds from the back, and pure left-footers are a minority.
Did he play at the 2026 World Cup?
Yes, with Colombia, for whom he has 42 caps and one goal. He has also played three editions of the Copa América, in 2019, 2021 and 2024.
