Weston McKennie is no longer on loan to Juventus. He's a full-fledged member of the Bianconeri.
Juventus exercised its option to secure the U.S. men's national team midfielder on a permanent transfer from Schalke on Wednesday and will pay the German club up to 25 million euros ($30.1 million) per their arrangement agreed upon over the summer. The flat fee is 18.5 million euros (or $22.3 million, paid over three years), with an additional 6.5 million euros ($7.8 million) dependent on benchmarks hit over the duration of McKennie's contract with Juventus, which now runs through June 30, 2025. Should the fee reach that maximum value, it would make McKennie the second-most expensive American after Christian Pulisic's $73 million move to Chelsea.
It's the ultimate moment of validation for the 22-year-old Texas native, who has not just proven he's fit in at Juventus—he's been one of the club's most reliable players in what's been an uncharacteristically lethargic season, at least by Juve's lofty standards.
“In the beginning I was thinking, yeah, it’s a loan and it feels maybe like a year-long trial,” McKennie told in October. “But [now] I feel like I belong here. I feel like I found my new home. I feel like this is a level that I can play at, and these guys of this caliber are the ones I’ve been dreaming about playing with. So to realize that I can keep up with these guys, I can play with these guys, I can play a role for this team and I can [make] an impact for this team, it doesn’t worry me as much as it may have in the beginning.”
As McKennie alluded to, he has transitioned to the Italian game quite well, while also showing his penchant for scoring. He has four Serie A goals and an unforgettable, acrobatic Champions League strike vs. Barcelona, marking a new single-season high for him. His work rate and overall play are what have drawn the admiration of manager Andrea Pirlo and his teammates, though.
"He has surprised me a lot," Brazil international and Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo recently told CBS. "He is an extremely intense player, he's always running all over the pitch and helps defensively, too. But he also scores a lot of goals, important ones for a midfielder. He's a very, very good midfielder and one of the best."
McKennie has started in 14 of his 21 Serie A appearances, with an additional six appearances (four starts) in the Champions League and three appearances (one start) in the Coppa Italia. He's already been part of one trophy-winning achievement, with Juventus lifting the Italian Supercoppa in January, and he'll get to play for another, with Juventus due to face Atalanta in the 2021 Coppa Italia final in May.
