Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland could have joined Juventus, according to a former head of the club’s scouting.
Matteo Tognozzi, the former head of scouting at Juventus, shared interesting anecdotes about missed opportunities for the Italian club in previous transfer windows. According to Tognozzi, Juventus was very close to signing Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland a few seasons ago.
These revelations highlight the uncertainties and challenges clubs face when trying to secure transfers for emerging talents, with some choices not materializing despite initial interest.
“We were really close to signing Haaland”
‘My biggest regrets? I certainly think of Bellingham, whom we were close to signing in 2019. In a few days, I will meet him at the Bernabéu, and it will be a certain emotion to think back to the meeting with him and his extraordinary family. He had ultimately decided to continue his development at Birmingham,’ said Matteo Tognozzi.
Then he mentioned the case of Haaland. ‘We were really close to signing Haaland as well. It was in November 2017, and I had arrived in July. We had him in our hands, but at the time it was to incorporate him into the Primavera (the reserve team), and the operation was deemed too costly. He was still on the bench at Molde, but a few weeks later, he started playing and scoring, then signed with Salzburg.'”
