Reports: Pietro Pellegri spurns Juventus, will sign with Monaco

For the past few January transfer windows, there have been one or two young and promising Italian players that have emerged as Juventus targets. Most of the time, Juve have ended up signing them. It happened with Mattia Caldara, it happened with Riccardo Orsolini.

Twelve months later, it doesn’t look like it will happen with Genoa teenager Pietro Pellegri.

According to multiple Italian media outlets, the 16-year-old Pellegri is heading to France rather than going to the six-time defending Serie A champions. Pellegri is reportedly set to sign with Monaco, with Juventus unwilling to get into some kind of bidding war to secure the teenage striker’s services.

Well, so much for that, I guess.

Pellegri will reportedly undergo his medical with Monaco at some point during the next two days before the weekend comes to an end. The transfer fee that will go from Monaco to Genoa will reportedly be in the €25 million range, with some suggesting that Genoa will get some kind of cut of any future sale whenever Pellegri does leave France.

And based on what kind of fees are being shelled out these days, seeing somebody like Pellegri who has all of eight senior squad appearances with Genoa under his belt go for that price may not be all that surprising to some.

Juventus’ most recent bid for Pellegri was for around €20 million (bonuses included), according to Sky Sport Italia transfer reporter Gianluca Di Marzio. That obviously isn’t what he has reportedly been sold to Monaco for, so it’s pretty easy to figure out why a move to France rather than moving up the Serie A ladder has happened.