Matias Siltanen, the Finn who nearly joined Juventus

Finnish midfielder Siltanen, 19, was tracked by Juventus under Comolli for the Next Gen squad but the move fell through; he joined Djurgården in January 2025 and has impressed in Sweden's top flight.

Juventus pursued Finnish midfielder Matias Siltanen around ten months ago when Damien Comolli was in charge, with plans to integrate him into the club's Next Gen setup. Juventus had identified him through Finland's Under-21 side, where he wore the captain's armband and scored five goals in twelve appearances. The deal never materialised and Siltanen remained in Sweden.

The 19-year-old joined Djurgården in January 2025 for €1.2 million, reuniting with coach Jani Honkavaara, who had worked with him at KuPS. A complete playmaker with strong passing accuracy (94%), Siltanen can also operate as a box-to-box midfielder. He was named the best young player in Finland's top division in 2024 after helping KuPS win the league and cup, and featured in The Guardian's list of sixty most promising talents born in 2007.

At Djurgården, Siltanen has become one of the jewels in a squad built by sporting director Maximilian Hahn, the German manager who arrived from West Ham in 2026. The club sits second in the Allsvenskan, six points behind leaders Sirius. Siltanen has attracted interest from Premier League clubs, including Fulham under Marco Silva, and Turkish side Besiktas.