Zeki Çelik is in the final stretch of his AS Roma deal, and the move that is drawing the most attention is a reported free transfer to Juventus in June 2026. The 29-year-old right back, who has been a steady name for Türkiye A Milli Futbol Takımı, is now being linked to a switch that would come without a fee.
That is why his name is being searched so heavily today. Çelik has spent the last few seasons in Roma, but the new-season picture now points elsewhere, with a preliminary understanding said to be in place for the Turin club. The timing matters because a player in the final months of a contract can shape both his own future and the plans of the club that still holds his registration.
Born on 17 February 1997 in Bursa’s Yıldırım district, Mehmet Zeki Çelik began football at Yavuz Selimspor before taking his first professional steps at Bursaspor. He later played for Bursaspor and Bursa Nilüferspor, then İstanbulspor, and moved directly to Europe after his performances in the 1. Lig. His path took him to Lille, where he won the Ligue 1 title, before AS Roma brought him in 2022.
His background remains part of the appeal around his name. He is described as the youngest of nine children, and his father worked in construction for a period to support the family. Çelik is also described as unmarried and without children, a detail that often surfaces alongside transfer talk because his career choices are being followed so closely at a point when a long-term club decision is coming into view.
The transfer claim, however, still leaves one key issue hanging. He is presented as still under contract with Roma while also being described as having already reached a preliminary agreement with Juventus for June 2026. That means the move is not being framed as an official club announcement, but as a reported understanding that would take effect only when the contract window closes.
For now, the most important part of the story is not the rumor itself but what it would mean if it holds. Çelik is still viewed as one of the key defensive pieces for Türkiye in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and he has about 60 matches for the national team. If the reported move goes through, Juventus would get an experienced right back on a free transfer, while Roma would have to plan for life after one of its regular defenders. The open question is whether Roma has already accepted that exit, or whether June will be the first moment the move becomes final.
