Juventus went all out to sign Alisson Becker this summer, but despite being close to making the move, Liverpool closed the door on the possibility.
A report from Gazzetta dello Sport in May said that Juventus were desperate to bring the Brazilian to Anfield and even had an agreement in principle over a contract worth “€4 and €5 million plus bonuses, with a clause (in favor of the club) for a further year’s renewal.”
However, Alisson’s importance to Liverpool was highlighted by the struggles of Giorgi Mamardashvili in his first season at the club after joining last summer from Valencia.
In March, Liverpool triggered a clause in Alisson’s £187k-a-week contract to automatically renew his deal for another year, meaning his contract now expires on 1 July 2027.
Now, speaking on his podcast ‘Caffe Di Marzio,’ Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims that Juve and Alisson were incredibly close to completing a deal to mark his return to Italy and a reunion with Luciano Spalletti after their time together at AS Roma.
Di Marzio explains: “Juventus first tried to sign Alisson. When club director Otolini went to Liverpool to negotiate, he had already reached an agreement with the player and his family, and even the jersey number had been chosen. However, Liverpool initially seemed willing to let him go, but later, due to a change of coach and Mohamed Salah’s departure, they decided they did not want to start the new season without these two core players, Alisson and Van Dijk.
“After leaving Liverpool, Juventus went to Birmingham and realized that E. Martinez wanted to try a new experience. As the World Cup was still ongoing, he did not give enough impetus to accept more favorable economic conditions. Then there were rumors of a finger injury.
” Next was Zion Suzuki, who is now close to Aston Villa, and finally, Juventus also turned their attention to Vicario:
“He is a very serious young man who waited for his opportunity and also waited for the right time to say ‘yes’ to Juventus. He also waited for Tottenham Hotspur to agree to a loan, so Juventus decisively made a move at the right time. After all, he is still the Italian national team’s goalkeeper, and the data supports him.”