Young goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina moving to Juventus on the summer?

After an outstanding debut season with Chicago Fire, Gabriel Slonina is starting to being targeted by European clubs, such as Juventus, who is looking to add the young goalkeeper over the summer transfer window, when he finishes his contract with the MLS team.

If the rumor turns up to be true, he would be playing with the Juventus U23 team next season, which some people might see as taking a step backwards, as he’s got assured his spot on the starting XI with Chicago.

Slonina put his name on the MLS History Books becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play in an official MLS game at the age of 17 years, 81 days. In that game against the now MLS Champion NYCFC, the young goalie managed to make four saves for his team as the match ended in a 0-0 draw, which also made him the youngest goalkeeper to record a clean sheet.

Although the rumor hasn’t yet been confirmed or denied by any of the parties involved, it’s only a matter of time to start hearing more and more about this kind of rumors, as his promising career is just taking off.

The 6 foot 4 goalie has been compared to a young Manuel Neuer, to which he answered that the comparison "is crazy". In an interview with Transfermarkt, he also claimed that Chicago wast the best opportunity for him to shine, even if the playoffs weren't part of the picture when he became the starter for the last 10 games of the season.

"I wanted to help the team as much as possible and win every game; that was the goal. It was the mentality I came in with; I used every game as an opportunity," he said.

Who is Gabriel Slonina?

Born in Addison, Illinois, to a Polish family on May 15, 2004, Slonina joined the Chicago Fire Club Academy at a young age. In 2016 at the age of 14 he signed his professional homegrown player contract with The Fire, making him the second youngest player signed by an MLS team, just behind Freddy Adu.

In 2018, he was called to the U16/17 team. In the two seasons he played for the Academy team he was part of the starting lineup in 11 games. Although he was called as a reserve goalkeeper for the first team since 2019, he got his first debut this season, playing a total of 11 games with 45 saves and four clean sheets.

A regular for the USMNT Academy

He also has represented the United States from U-15 to U-20 categories. Most recently, he played on the Revelations Cup in Celaya, Mexico, defending the U-20 Stars and Stripes goal, where he played on the opener against Brazil and was captain in the Final against Mexico, a game the US ended up losing 2-1.

His outstanding performances throughout the season gave him the chance to be called up by the USMNT for the friendly match they played against Bosnia and Herzegovina on December 18, game that the US won by a score of 1-0.

Even though he had to watch the game from the sides, his call to the “big leagues” can only excite Chicago Fire and USMNT fans, as his promising career as a trusty goalkeeper is rising up fast.

The player also known as Gaga has a Polish passport, something that will help him make the jump to a European league easier when the time comes to. If the opportunity comes, should he grab it and play for the U-23 team of a European club or stay for a couple more seasons in the MLS to improve his skills and having actual playtime?