Pescara President Daniele Sebastiani reveals PSG star Marco Verratti “was very close to joining Juventus” in 2012 and “he’s thinking about a return to Italy.”
The midfield playmaker has never actually played in Serie A, because he shot to fame in Zdenek Zeman’s side that won the Serie B tournament in 2011-12.
Pescara President Daniele Sebastiani reveals PSG star Marco Verratti “was very close to joining Juventus” in 2012 and “he’s thinking about a return to Italy.”
The midfield playmaker has never actually played in Serie A, because he shot to fame in Zdenek Zeman’s side that won the Serie B tournament in 2011-12.
“When he left Pescara, Marco was a bit disappointed that the transfer to Juventus didn’t go through, because it’s the team he had supported since childhood,” revealed President Sebastiani in Tuttosport.
“When he arrived in Paris and realised how big Paris Saint-Germain were, he realised this was going to change his life.
“I’d have preferred to sell him to Juve and we had gone very close indeed. In January 2012 we talked about an exchange of co-ownership deals between Verratti and Ciro Immobile.
“Nothing came of it, but Marco continued to improve. In the summer it all fell through because of a disagreement over a player exchange.
“I remained in contact with Marco and we spoke over the last few days. Trust me: he is very happy in Paris. I do believe that he’s thinking about a return to Italy, though. Knowing him for a while, I think he’d run to Juventus.
“If the price-tag is €50m-€60m, that would be a bargain for Juventus. In technical terms, he’s on a par with Paul Pogba. The trouble is PSG don’t tend to sell their champions.
“Aside from Juventus, the only team I see Verratti playing for in Italy is Pescara.”