Juventus has suffered their first summer setback after Aston Villa beat them to the signature of French midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

The Bianconeri held a long-standing interest in the 22-year-old who refused to extend his contract at Olympique Marseille.

He told their fans on his last game of the season that he was leaving for a new challenge, which seemed like a boost to Juve’s chances of signing him.

However, the midfielder who is also adept at playing in defence has now joined Villa, according to Sky Sports.

Kamara said via the report: “When I met with Steven [Gerrard], Christian [Purslow, chief executive] and Johan [Lange, sporting director] in my home I knew Aston Villa was for me. Their ambition and determination to succeed matches my own. I cannot wait for pre-season to get going.”

Juve FC Says

The smartest clubs act fast to add new players to their squad and that is what Villa has done.

If we work slowly, we would lose more of our transfer targets, so we need to learn from this development.

Reports have linked several players with a move to Juve, but if we don’t make moves fast enough to add them to our squad, they will join other suitors.