As the agent of Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz was questioned by AS today, we learned numerous facts about his transfer to Juventus.
The 21-year-old is on loan to the Old Lady until the end of the season, with a €49.5 million buy-out clause.
Sebastian Lopez stated that as Alcaraz was not a regular starter at Southampton, all parties agreed it was appropriate for him to leave.
A couple Premier League clubs were interested in signing him, but that’s when Juventus stepped in and quickly reached an arrangement with Southampton.
The agent believes that he was startled when the Bianconeri accepted some of Southampton’s terms.
“Yes, in the middle, I received a call from Juventus. This was a Monday; I met with Southampton and we discussed the exit criteria. On Monday night, I received a phone call from Juventus, which surprised even me. So, despite my reservations, I informed Charly, “Look, Juventus fell for it.” They promised to provide an official offer tomorrow, so we’ll know. The next day, around 8:30 a.m., I received an official offer from Juventus on my cell phone. “We closed the deal in one day,” Lopez told AS.
“They had a loan of approximately €1.5 million plus a penalty. Southampton were certain that wherever he went on loan, there would be a punishment if he did not play. They sought for a stipulation that required the individual to play. They created this punishment if the player plays less than 30% of the minutes, but it reduces to zero if he plays more than 60%.
It turns out that Alcaraz has only made four appearances for Juventus, so the team is unlikely to invest that much money to sign him permanently, especially since he is now injured.
That’s why AS asked if Southampton could offer a discount on the purchase clause, and the agency seemed optimistic.
“I’m not sure what is going to happen. But I believe he will generate the move.”
