USMNT’s Tim Weah joins Juventus, fulfilling legendary father’s dream

Tim Weah has officially joined Juventus, fulfilling a dream his father once had of playing for the storied Italian club.

The United States men’s national team forward is heading to the Serie A side on a 12.4 million euro transfer fee from Ligue 1 club Lille.

The 23-year-old Weah, who is the son of former FIFA Player of the Year and current Liberian President George Weah, signed a five-year contract with Juventus on the day the transfer market opened in Italy.

“Honored & Blessed to finally be Bianconeri. None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my wonderful family,” Weah wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you to everyone at Juventus for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to represent this legendary club.

“GRAZIE (thank you) to all the supporters for all the love they’ve shown me since day one and I can’t wait to meet you all very soon.”

Weah’s father also played in Italy, for AC Milan, but recently told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport that he would have loved to play for Juventus.

“I have always been a Juventus fan,” George Weah said. “I fell in love with Juventus when (Michel) Platini played for them and if I was asked what other team I would have wanted to play for I would say Juventus.

“I really hope to see Tim play in Italy sooner or later.”

Juventus will pay Lille $11.3 million (10.3 million euros) in two installments for Weah, plus up to $2.3 million (2.1 million euros) in bonuses.

Weah, 23, played the last four seasons with Lille, joining the club in 2019 after a stint with Paris SG and a loan tenure with Celtic. He made 107 total caps during his time with Lille, primarily playing fullback and wing back during his time with the French club. Weah has typically been a winger during his time with USMNT. He scored eight total goals in his time with Lille and had two assists this past season.

With the transfer, Weah will join fellow USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie on the Bianconeri. McKennie’s future with Juventus has been in question in recent weeks as Serie A rival Roma reportedly has the American on its radar, but Juventus is “reluctant” to sell the midfielder. McKennie recently rejoined Juventus after a 19-game loan to Leeds United.

If McKennie stays with Juventus, he and Weah will look to get the club back to the top of the Serie A standings as it finished seventh this past season in part because of a 10-point deduction due to alleged false accounting.

Weah and McKennie could also potentially be joined by several other USMNT teammates in Serie A next season. AC Milan has reportedly agreed to terms with forward Christian Pulisic and is now negotiating a fee with the U.S. star’s current club, Chelsea. Milan has also reportedly expressed interest in midfielder Yunus Musah and striker Folarin Balogun.

[USMNT transfer tracker: Tim Weah lands in Turin, Ricardo Pepi commits to PSV]

Weah was welcomed by about 100 enthusiastic Juventus fans when he arrived for his medical test on Thursday. Some were also waving American flags.

Weah was born in Brooklyn and spent his childhood in New York and Pembroke Pines, Florida. He joined PSG’s youth team in 2014 and was officially called up to the United States men’s national senior team in 2018, making his debut shortly after his 18th birthday.

Weah quickly became a sensation for the United States, scoring a goal in one of his first international matches to become the fourth-youngest American to score in an international match. His role with the team has continued to elevate over the years, starting all four games for the United States during the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. He scored the team’s opening goal of the tournament against Wales and has four goals in 31 international appearances.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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