Enrico Preziosi has revealed that Genoa tried to sign Paul Pogba in co-ownership with Milan, but they were unable to meet his agent’s conditions.
Juventus picked up the Frenchman at the expiry of his Manchester United contract in the summer of 2012 and he has since risen to prominence in Serie A.
Enrico Preziosi has revealed that Genoa tried to sign Paul Pogba in co-ownership with Milan, but they were unable to meet his agent’s conditions.
Juventus picked up the Frenchman at the expiry of his Manchester United contract in the summer of 2012 and he has since risen to prominence in Serie A.
But before that move to Juve materialised, Genoa and Milan had the chance to pick up Pogba, the Grifone’s owner has explained today.
“Before he signed for Juventus, I met both him and Mino Raiola,” Preziosi has told Corriere della Sera in an interview.
“He was asking for a co-ownership with a big club, so I talked about this with Adriano Galliani but Milan didn’t accept the conditions dictated by the agent.”
Preziosi isn’t new to missing out on world class players, as he famously refused to recruit a certain Lionel Messi before he moved to Barcelona.
“Our scout in Argentina, Renato Favero, recommended Lionel Messi to me. He talked to me about this 14-year-old phenomenon who cost $50,000.
“I didn’t really discard the option, but at the same time I didn’t feel like betting a similar sum of money for a boy who was young and also a bit frail.”
Finally, toy-maker Preziosi reflected on the derby lost against Sampdoria earlier this season and the reaction from his counterpart Massimo Ferrero, who lost control during the celebrations in the aftermath.
“I wasn’t happy about his behaviour after the derby, but I didn’t cut my veins either. Although I have won the previous three derbies, it means that I will pay him back in the return fixture.
“If Ferrero was a toy it would be himself – he has asked me to make a toy in his own image.”