European giants had transfer list 'leaked' after being 'left in restaurant' and it featured Liverpool, Spurs and Newcastle stars

A list of Juventus transfer targets was once accidentally 'leaked' after being left in a restaurant, according to reports.

After a quiet few years in the transfer market for the Italian giants, Juve spent over €150 million this summer on signings such as Khephren Thuram, Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners.

They also welcomed in a new manager, with fans hoping that Thiago Motta can kickstart a brand new era after several seasons of relative stagnation under Massimiliano Allegri.

Prior to their big spending this summer, Juve attempted to adopt a policy which would see them target high-profile free transfers - with significant success.

Adrien Rabiot, Angel Di Maria and Emre Can were among the players that arrived at the Juventus Stadium on free transfers.

Other high-profile arrivals for fees in recent years include Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Manuel Locatelli.

But there are a number of targets that they have missed out on - with some of those seemingly revealed by Italian outlet Il Tempo in 2019.

The report claims that the then Juventus sporting director, Fabio Paratici, was at a restaurant in Milan when he pulled out a transfer list for the January transfer window.

It adds that, while Paratici is said to have ripped up the list before he left - and there is no indication over whether he actually compiled the list - a fan apparently recognised him and put the pieces of paper back together once he had departed the restaurant.

The list includes several names and transfer values - with several of them now playing in the Premier League.

The first of those names, it is reported, was Genoa defender Cristian Romero. The Argentinian has since gone on to win the World Cup and star at the heart of Tottenham's defence.

Romero did actually sign for Juve in the summer of 2019, but never played for the club and instead spent time back on loan at Genoa and at Atalanta. He then signed for the latter permanently, before immediately joining Spurs on loan with an option to buy.

And the second of those names was Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali, who chose to join AC Milan before moving to Newcastle for £55 million last summer. He has recently returned to action after serving a 10-month ban from football for illegal betting.

Zaniolo e Milinkovic È saccheggio Juve! https://t.co/fIlVUI2QOe #zaniolo #milinkovic #Juventus #paratici #Roma #Lazio #mercato #iltempoquotidiano @aleaus81 pic.twitter.com/8XotrWR9WT

— IL TEMPO (@tempoweb) January 27, 2019

Both players have transfer values of €20 million on the list, with the third player on the list - Fiorentina's Federico Chiesa - coming in at an estimated €50 million.

Juve did have to wait another two transfer windows to sign the Italy international winger, but did complete an initial loan deal in October 2020. That deal was made permanent in 2022 for an eventual €40 million - cheaper than the estimated price.

But Juve made a significant loss on Chiesa by selling him to Liverpool this summer for just £12.5 million.

Former Aston Villa loanee Nicolo Zaniolo is also on the list. He signed for Galatasaray from Roma in 2022, and after his spell at Villa Park last season, is now back in Serie A on loan at Europa League holders Atalanta.

The final name on the list, meanwhile, was RB Salzburg's Dominik Szoboszlai. The Hungarian, of course, is now a key player for Liverpool, having moved to Anfield for £60 million last summer via a spell at RB Leipzig.

On the back of the reportedly 'leaked' list is midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who was at Lazio prior to a summer move to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal in 2023.