20 July 2015
Giuseppe Marotta says the Bianconeri are on the lookout for further new faces as he aims to hand Massimiliano Allegri the best possible group of players with which to tackle the 2015/16 campaign.
The Bianconeri CEO is happy with the business done by the club to date, particularly the investments made in talent in Italy, but says Juventus will remain alert to any opportunities that come their way during the remaining six weeks of the transfer window.
Speaking to the media in Vinovo, Marotta began: “We know we still have to complete our squad. It’s our first target and we clearly need to do so as soon as possible. It’s our duty to assemble a competitive group and there are still a few little gaps to be filled. We’ll do just that depending on how things pan out.
“We've tried to keep two things in mind with regards to revamping the squad. One was home-based players and I say that with a lot of pride, as all of our revenue, TV money from last season - around €90 million - was reinvested in Italy, by signing players from Italian clubs.”
One name linked with the club in recent weeks is that of Bayern Munich star Mario Goetze, whose qualities Marotta admitted fall in line with Allegri’s requirements.
“Gotze definitely fits the bill but he's very much a Bayern player so clearly we haven't opened formal talks. But if and when the club or player expressed the desire for a new challenge, we'd be the first to try to open formal discussions to see if we could get a deal done.”
Another Bayern-related topic for the Juventus executive to discuss was the situation of Arturo Vidal, who has been heavily linked with a transfer in the other direction.
He confirmed that the Chilean had asked to move on to pastures new and expects the loose ends of the deal to be tied up shortly.
“Juventus is not a selling club and players aren’t transferred unless they ask to leave. This is what happened in the cases of Pirlo, Tevez, Ogbonna and also Vidal, who expressed his desire to try a different experience.
“His contract here would have expired in 2017, while it appears he’ll be signing a five-year deal with Bayern, which is very important for his future.”
Marotta concluded by refuting speculation linking Paul Pogba with a move away, expressing the Bianconeri’s intention to keep hold of the French midfielder.
“We believe a great deal in Pogba and have heard the interest of several clubs, but haven’t sat down at the negotiation table with anyone. We would only listen to offers if he expressed a desire to leave, but that hasn’t happened as it stands and there's absolutely no requirement to let him go.”
