Mattia Perin, Lorenzo Palmisani and the 'Baby Buffon': Juventus Casts a Wide Net for Goalkeeper Options

Juventus is reassessing its goalkeeping picture as internal prospects and external targets gain traction: Giovanni Daffara’s loan run in Serie B and the club’s renewed interest in Lorenzo Palmisani come amid scrutiny of current options and the ongoing presence of mattia perin in the squad. The developments matter because the club is combining long-term planning with immediate pressure from fans and results on the pitch.

Mattia Perin and Juventus' pecking order

Mattia Perin remains a named part of Juventus’ roster that younger keepers are being measured against. The club’s handling of goalkeeping choices has included senior starters and a sequence of experiments: on 3 September 2023 Massimiliano Allegri took Giovanni Daffara onto the Serie A bench with Pinsoglio while Perin was the starter that day, and Daffara was listed on five Serie A matchday squads without making a debut. Those selections have helped shape the internal pathway for youth prospects and informed subsequent decisions to loan and extend contracts.

Giovanni Daffara’s Serie B spell at Avellino

Juventus has been cultivating Giovanni Daffara as a homegrown option. The 2004-born keeper moved on loan to Avellino in Serie B with a loan that includes a right of purchase and a counter-right clause, and in his first 16 league appearances he recorded one clean sheet and conceded 26 goals. The club had tied him to a new contract in the summer of 2024 extending to 2028, an explicit action to keep him under long-term control while he gained minutes away from Turin.

Daffara’s ascent through the ranks is marked by repeated integration with the first team: Allegri’s 2023 call-ups, inclusion in a Germany tour under Thiago Motta and a place on the list for the Club World Cup under Igor Tudor all feature in his path. Those experiences, plus a stretch as a Juventus Next Gen regular and a Youth League campaign in which he maintained a clean sheet under adverse circumstances, explain why supporters are urging the club to consider him after recent high-profile errors from other senior keepers — notably a criticized misplay by Di Gregorio that amplified calls on social media to "bring Daffara home. " What makes this notable is how squad exposure and targeted loaning have translated into both tangible game time and growing supporter pressure.

Lorenzo Palmisani emerges as an external target

While Juventus evaluates its internal options, scouting attention has widened. Frosinone’s Lorenzo Palmisani has been watched on multiple occasions by the club’s observers after a season that includes 10 clean sheets in 24 appearances in Serie B. Palmisani has also featured for Italy’s Under-21s, accumulating four caps since his debut in October, and made 20 appearances for Lucchese earlier in the prior campaign before returning to Frosinone in January.

The measurable impact of Palmisani’s season — double-digit clean sheets and regular starts that have helped Frosinone challenge for promotion — is a clear driver of Juventus’ interest. The club is reportedly keeping tabs on him alongside other established domestic names, reflecting a dual strategy: secure promising academy talent while monitoring proven performers in the second tier.

How choices are being driven by immediate failures and long-term planning

The current sequence shows cause and effect: high-profile mistakes by current senior keepers have intensified fan calls for change, which in turn amplifies scrutiny of homegrown prospects like Daffara. Juventus’ concrete responses — a contract renewal through 2028, repeated first-team call-ups, a Serie B loan with purchase options, and external scouting of Palmisani — indicate simultaneous short-term risk management and long-term succession planning. The timing matters because the club must balance results in the present season with roster construction for the next, and those pressures are influencing how heavily it leans on academy-produced talent versus outside acquisitions.

Juventus now faces a choice between accelerating the integration of a cultivated talent or pursuing ready-made solutions from Serie B; both routes have clear, documented precedents in the club’s recent actions and in the performances logged this season.