A list of Juventus transfer targets was once accidentally 'leaked' in a restaurant, according to a report - and contained some future stars of world football.
The Turin side have had plenty of success in the free transfer department in recent years, including Adrien Rabiot and Angel Di Maria.
Successful fee-paying signings include Paulo Dybala, Federico Chiesa and Rodrigo Bentancur, while they also secured a deal to bring the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo to the Juventus Stadium in 2018.
But they had a number of targets that they have missed out on - including several that were named in a slightly bizarre report from Italian outlet Il Tempo in 2019.
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The report claims that the then Juventus sporting director, Fabio Paratici, was at a restaurant in Milan when he pulled out a transfer list for the January transfer window.
It adds that, while Paratici is said to have ripped up the list before he left - and there is no indication over whether he actually compiled the list - a fan apparently recognised him and put the pieces of paper back together once he had departed the restaurant.
The list includes several names and transfer values - with several of them now playing in the Premier League.
The first of those names, it is reported, was Genoa defender Cristian Romero. The Argentinian has since gone on to win the World Cup and star at the heart of Tottenham's defence.
Romero did actually sign for Juve in the summer of 2019, but never played for the club and instead spent time back on loan at Genoa and at Atalanta. He then signed for the latter permanently, before immediately joining Spurs on loan with an option to buy.
And the second of those names was Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali, who chose to join AC Milan before moving to Newcastle for £55 million this summer. He is currently serving a 10-month ban from football for illegal betting.
Both players have transfer values of €20 million, with the third player on the list - Fiorentina's Federico Chiesa - coming in at an estimated €50 million.
Juve did have to wait another two transfer windows to sign the Italy international winger, but did complete an initial loan deal in October 2020. That deal was made permanent in 2022 for an eventual €40 million - cheaper than the estimated price.
Current Aston Villa loanee Nicolo Zaniolo is also on the list. The Italian's parent club is Galatasaray, having signed for the club from Roma in 2022. He has suffered two anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries during his career.
The final name on the list, meanwhile, was RB Salzburg's Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian, of course, is now a key player for Liverpool, having moved to Anfield for £60 million in the summer via a spell at RB Leipzig.
On the back of the reportedly 'leaked' list is midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who was at Lazio prior to a summer move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
Topics: Juventus, Serie A, Transfers, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Dominik Szoboszlai
Ryan Smart