مدير عام كرة القدم
- Weah’s agent calls out Juventus Sporting department
- Claims Italian club are standing in way of potential move
- USMNT winger wants Marseille move
U.S. men’s national team winger Tim Weah is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
In June, the American reportedly turned down an approach from الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز side Nottingham Forest after Juventus and the English club came to terms over a transfer. Since, he’s stated his desire to return to France, and Marseille has put their hand forward as a club interested in his services. Weah has made it clear he would accept a move to the club in the league where he previously played for both PSG and Lille.
However, the two parties have been unable to come to an agreement so far. The French outlet is offering a fee of $17.6 million (€15 million), but Juve is insisting on their valuation of $23.5 million (€20 million).
Speaking to The Athletic Weah’s agent Badou Sambague shared his frustration over the matter.
“Juve is a fantastic club,” Sambague wrote. “The sporting department is managed by three persons. Two have class, and another is still searching himself [sic]. We cannot blame him. Two are looking for solutions, and one is creating problems. And we can’t let that go. Tim Weah is always professional, but was left out during the [Club] World Cup. This person botched his [Club] World Cup, tried to force him to go where he wanted. Today, as revenge, he’s demanding a fortune and waiting for a Premier League offer that won’t come and will never be approved by us.
“These are old-fashioned methods that won’t sit well with me. I’m not used to speaking out, but not doing so today would be accepting the unacceptable and total disrespect. Class can’t be bought for a manager, that’s for sure, but it has always been part of the history of Juventus. One person is undermining that. Let’s see…”
Weah featured for just 45 minutes with Juventus at the Club World Cup and missed out on participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the USMNT as a result.
According to the report, the U.S. winger and his camp are frustrated with the Bianconeri’s general manager, Damien Comolli, after he had initially accepted a transfer fee of $16.5 million (€14 million) from Forest, but is now asking for a larger-than-reasonable fee.
Weah wants to play for Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi and compete in the UEFA Champions League with the club. His deal with Juve has three years remaining.
Internationally, Weah has made 42 appearances for the USMNT, scoring seven goals and recording five assists.
Juventus take on Reggiana in a preseason friendly on Aug. 2. It remains to be seen if Weah will be part of the squad for the match.