Verona director Sean Sogliano reveals why Juan Iturbe’s transfer to Juventus collapsed in favour of Roma.
Verona director Sean Sogliano reveals why Juan Iturbe’s transfer to Juventus collapsed in favour of Roma.
The forward had seemed to be on the verge of joining the Bianconeri for many weeks, but on the day of Antonio Conte’s resignation as Juve Coach, Iturbe went to Roma for €22m plus add-ons.
“He’s a very promising player and in my view Roma made a great buy, because he has the right hunger to reach the top level,” Verona director of sport Sogliano told Sky Sport Italia.
“Why didn’t he go to Juventus? Everyone has their own strategy, though clearly there are some behind the scenes issues…
“We earned an important sum for Iturbe. Juventus wanted him, but when negotiations remain too open, complications can set in.
“Fabio Quagliarella did not fit into our wage structure, so that complicated matters.”
Juve had wanted to lower Iturbe’s price-tag by including Quagliarella as part of an exchange, but the forward was not prepared to take a pay cut.
Quagliarella left Juventus this week anyway and completed a transfer to Torino for €3.5m.
There were also reportedly problems between the Bianconeri and Morata’s agent, as it’s believed the add-ons will eventually take Roma’s expenditure from €22m to €30m.
Verona are preparing for another transfer saga of the summer, as Romulo is wanted by the likes of Milan, Juventus, Roma and Inter.
“Romulo has a three-year contract with us and negotiations are on-going, so there is time to figure out where he will end up,” added Sogliano.
“There are two or three options, but nowadays things can change suddenly.”
Verona have also been heavily linked with veteran Mexican defender Rafael Marquez.
“It is something of a dream, so we’ll see if we wake up or not. We’re going to try for him.”