Wiretapped conversations suggest then-Juventus chief Fabio Paratici specifically named Arsenal director Edu when negotiating ‘mate’s rates’ with Sassuolo for Manuel Locatelli.

The investigation into allegations of financial irregularities at Juve saw the public prosecutor in Turin collect hours and hours of wiretapped phone calls.

Many of those have been released as part of the dossier requesting a trial, which is legal in Italy because there is no jury system and therefore no risk of influencing the outcome.

Some of these conversations are about specific transfers that raised eyebrows on the way Juventus operated, including the unusual deal for Locatelli.

Arsenal were prepared to pay more to Sassuolo and for the player’s wages, but Locatelli had his heart set on Juve and the club knew that put them at a huge advantage.

“If I sit down at the table and the conditions you offer me are the same you are giving to Edu of Arsenal, who you have never met in your entire life, then what is the added value of our decade-long rapport?” said Paratici to Sassuolo director Giovanni Carnevali in the wiretap published by La Repubblica newspaper.

“What happened to the €8m you earned in six months with Merih Demiral, who you’d never even heard of? Or our decisive support when you got Sensi? The €13m you got from Lirola?”

Paratici, who left Juventus in 2021 for a new role at Tottenham Hotspur, is at the absolute centre of the investigation and namechecked repeatedly by the other members of the club who were alarmed at his dealings.

Juventus did sign Locatelli in August 2021 on a free two-year loan with option to buy for €30m, which could become an obligation under certain circumstances, plus up to €7.5m in bonuses.

According to the prosecutor’s report, the bonuses were extremely easy to achieve, so it was a way of making this money look like a potential cost when it was in reality practically guaranteed.

This includes a ‘fidelity bonus’ worth €5m that is activated when Juventus earn their first point between February and March 2023.

This tactic of loan with option to buy that becomes an obligation under certain circumstances is increasingly used in Italian transfers at various different clubs, a way of spreading out the cost and commitment to different sporting and financial years.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tickets Kit Collector