Juventus are growing increasingly frustrated with defender Juan Cabal, who has rejected a proposed loan move to Bologna despite being frozen out of the first-team picture for six months. The Colombian international’s refusal threatens to derail the Turin club’s summer restructuring plans at a critical stage of the transfer window.
Cabal, who has not featured under manager Luciano Spalletti since February, has turned down the opportunity to join the Serie A rivals on a temporary basis where he would have stood a genuine chance of regular playing time. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 25-year-old is infuriating the Juventus directors by blocking the club’s transfer strategy and showing little enthusiasm for securing a move elsewhere, even as he remains entirely absent from competitive fixtures.
The defender’s complete marginalisation followed a costly red card in the Champions League play-off defeat to Galatasaray in February. Since that dismissal during the crucial European knockout tie, Cabal has been abandoned by Spalletti, failing to record a single competitive appearance in the past half-year despite remaining fully fit and available for selection.
Cabal joined Juventus from Hellas Verona in 2024 for €12.8 million plus performance-related bonuses. The transfer represented a significant investment in a player who had previously impressed in Serie A, yet he has managed only 19 appearances in total across all competitions, struggling to convince the coaching staff of his defensive reliability at the highest level.
His unwillingness to consider the Bologna loan leaves Juventus in a difficult position as they attempt to streamline their squad during a period of renewal. The Bianconeri are eager to offload unwanted players to reduce wage expenditure and recoup value from failed investments, yet Cabal’s resistance means they cannot free up resources or remove a non-contributing member from the dressing room while his contract runs down.
With no appearances in 2025 and no prospect of breaking back into the manager’s plans following the Galatasaray incident, the full-back’s stance raises serious questions about his long-term career trajectory at the Allianz Stadium. At 25, Cabal should be entering his prime years, making his current stagnation particularly concerning for both club and country. Unless he changes his position, he risks spending the remainder of his contract training apart from competitive action while his market value continues to decline.