With Andrea Agnelli’s time in charge of Juventus ended in dramatic fashion, let’s take a look back at the 10 most lucrative sales during his 12-year period at the helm.
The Bianconeri chairman and the entire board of directors unexpectedly resigned on Monday amid accusations that players were secretly paid salaries during the early stages of the COVID pandemic in 2020, despite claiming that these would be put on hold. Wiretaps revealed a secret document signed by Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo that further alluded to these allegations.
Agnelli took over as Juventus president in May 2010 and spent 12 years in charge before his resignation on Monday. Let’s take a look back at the 10 most lucrative sales during his time at the helm.
10 – Moise Kean – €27.5m
The Italian forward is a product of the club’s youth system and broke into the Juventus first team in 2018, doing well before making his €27.5m move to Everton. Things didn’t particularly go to plan in the North West of England and he returned two years later on a two-year loan deal with a €30m obligation to buy clause attached.
9 – Leonardo Spinazzola – €29m
Another product of Juventus’ youth system, Spinazzola bounced around various clubs on loan in the early stages of his career before eventually breaking into the first team in the 2018-19 season. After a handful of positive appearances, he was sold to Roma for €29m, where he’s been able to truly show his qualities.
8 – Alvaro Morata – €30m
The Spanish forward joined the Bianconeri in the summer of 2014 from Real Madrid in a deal worth around €20m and returned two years later for €30m, starting a trend of bouncing around the top clubs of Europe. Morata spent a few years away with Chelsea and Atletico Madrid before eventually making a brief return on a two-year loan deal in 2020.
7 – Mattia Caldara – €37.74m
Once upon a time, Caldara was one of the most exciting youngsters in Italian football and looked destined for big things in Serie A. Juventus picked up the defender for €19m in January 2017 from Atalanta but never gave him a chance with the first team, sending him back to Bergamo on loan before selling him to Milan for €37.74m.
6 – Arturo Vidal – €39.25m
In hindsight, Juventus’ €12.5m acquisition of Vidal from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2011 was a bargain. The Chilean proved himself a key part of Antonio Conte’s successful squad in Turin and he was an important player until his €39.25m move to Bayern Munich in July 2015.
5 – Leonardo Bonucci – €42m
One of the more amusing entries on this list, Bonucci was a core part of the Agnelli era at Juventus, joining in 2010 from Bari. He formed a formidable trio with Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli before his unexpected move to Milan in the summer of 2017. It wasn’t a successful move and he returned a year later for €35m.
4 – Miralem Pjanic – €60m
Pjanic became a star at Roma and his signing in 2016 looked a smart move from the Bianconeri. After four successful years in Turin, he left for Barcelona in a suspicious swap deal with Arthur Melo. This deal is often pointed to when discussing Juventus’ culpability in the capital gains case.
3 – Joao Cancelo – €65m
The Cancelo deal was incredibly positive for Juventus; the Portuguese full back arrived from Valencia for €40.4m and was sold just 13 months later to Manchester City in a swap deal with Danilo worth around €65m total.
2 – Matthijs de Ligt – €67m
The most recent entry on this list, the Dutch defender shot to prominence as a teenager with Ajax and was part of the team that knocked Juventus out of the Champions League in the 2018-19 campaign. He was signed that summer for €85.5m but struggled to live up to the hype in Turin and was sold to Bayern Munich this summer for €67m.
1 – Paul Pogba – €105m
The arrival and departure of Pogba represent some of the best business ever carried out by Juventus. The Frenchman was signed on a free transfer in 2012 following frustrations with his limited chances at Manchester United and he grew into one of the most exciting midfielders in the world in Turin. After four years, he was sold back to the Red Devils for €105m. Six years later, he returned again on a free transfer.