Gianluca Scamacca is the latest player to be monitored by Juventus and Inter, but the Serie A giants have battled for the signings of many other players in their history, from Romelu Lukaku to Federico Chiesa.
Scamacca is regarded as one of Italy’s most promising strikers. Both Juventus and Inter are on the lookout for a new centre forward and the Sassuolo hitman is on their radars.
However, the Neroverdi don’t want to sell him in January and consider only a permanent €40m move at the end of the season.
Scamacca is the latest player to be linked with a move to Turin or to the blue and black half of Milan. But who were his predecessors?
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku’s agent Federico Pastorello has confirmed that the Belgian striker was close to joining Juventus in 2019.
The Bianconeri had already reached an agreement with Manchester United, with Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic, who would have moved to Old Trafford. However, Dybala rejected a move to United and Inter raised their offer, signing the Belgian star who remained in Milan for two years.
Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski
History changed in 2020 when the Bianconeri managed to secure the services of Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa.
Both players were also on Inter’s radars, but Juventus secured Kulusevski’s services for €44m (including add-ons) in January 2020, and signed Chiesa from Fiorentina on loan with an obligation to buy in October of the same year.
Dejan Stankovic
The Lazio midfielder had signed a pre-contract agreement with the Bianconeri in 2003, but, as La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, he was not yet allowed to sign with a new team without Lazio’s consent.
Therefore, Inter managed to hijack the deal and sign him for just €4m plus Goran Pandev in January 2004. Stankovic spent almost a decade in Milan, winning 15 trophies, including the treble in 2010.
Pietro Anastasi
Back in 1968, Varese reached an agreement with Inter for the sale of the Italian striker. Anastasi even played a friendly match with the Nerazzurri against Roma a the Stadio Olimpico.
However, at the end of the first half, a photographer told him that the agreement had changed, Varese had changed their mind selling him to Juventus.
Anastasi admitted a few years later that FIAT had promised Varese president Borghi a supply of fridge motors for his company Ignis, managing to close the deal.
Michel Platini
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, even Michel Platini could have played for Inter.
The French legend had reached an agreement with the Nerazzurri in 1978, but foreign players were not allowed to move to Italy at that time.
When Juventus finalized the agreement in 1982, they called Inter to inform them about the deal and Platini became one of the best players to have ever played with the Bianconeri.
“Therefore, Inter managed to hijack the deal and sign him for just €4m plus Goran Pandev in January 2004. ”
Wow, now I know Goran Pandev was Inter player before Lazio. I saw in WIkipedia he never played single match for Inter (maybe friendlies only).