In recent weeks, Juventus reignited their interest in Sassuolo icon Domenico Berardi, identifying him as the right profile to bolster the attacking department.

Moreover, the Old Lady reached an agreement with the player over personal terms.

But according to Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali, the deal is now dead in the water. The director explains that the Bianconeri missed the deadline to sign the 29-year-old.

The Euro 2020 winner is the ultimate talisman at the Mapei Stadium. Therefore, the Emilians set their deadline on August 17, allowing themselves a couple of weeks to find a suitable replacement before the closure of the market.

Yet, Carnevali says he never heard again from Juventus technical director Cristiano Giuntoli. This demeanor irked the Neroverdi.

“No. Berardi won’t join Juventus. There are principles in negotiations,” said Carnevali in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Juve had shown interest in our player and Sassuolo were open to negotiations in the last ten days. This is also because Domenico had expressed his approval of the operation”.

“The reality is that I didn’t receive any official offers. When Juve asked us for Berardi the first time, we only sketched out an economic discourse.

“Sassuolo clarified that the player’s valuation was over 30 million, but on our part there was the willingness to listen to an offer from Juve and find together the right amount and formula that could satisfy both clubs.

“We also wanted to please Berardi, who we are very fond of, but we could not neglect the needs of our club and therefore I had specified to Juve that we would not accept the exchange offers because we had already revamped the squad.

“I thought we would have found a solution anyway and in fact Sassuolo had also identified a replacement (Dodi Lukebakio, Belgian winger from Hertha Berlin).

“Sassuolo had indicated a precise deadline to conclude the deal: August 17. I clearly told Giuntoli and Domenico’s agents that we could not overcome that date.

“But Giuntoli hasn’t been heard from since. Basically, I haven’t received any official offer from Juve. So now Sassuolo are removing Berardi from the transfer market.” 

“Of course. I’m very annoyed because there has always been openness and availability on our part.

“We usually share the offers we receive with our players and we try to satisfy their desires, obviously without neglecting the needs of the club. And it would have been better to talk first with Sassuolo and then with Berardi’s agents.”

Therefore Juventus may have missed out on Berardi yet again, unless the final stretch of the summer transfer session offers new twists and turns on this front.