Juventus cannot afford top players, says Marotta

Nov 8, 2012 2:18:00 PM

The director has explained that the club can no longer sanction the purchase of marquee names and that all Italian teams are being hit by the financial crisis in the country

Beppe Marotta says Juventus are unable to afford some of the world's best players, despite the Serie A champions being linked with a number of big names.

The Old Lady are reportedly in the market for a new striker and the likes of Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain and Manchester City's Edin Dzeko have been tipped for a move to Turin in January.

Marotta, though, has said the club does not have the financial power to attract those types of players to Juventus stadium, and he admitted the financial situation in Italy has left a number of clubs in a similar position.

"[Robin]van Persie, Higuain, [Luis] Suarez and Dzeko? They are great names, but it is almost a utopian way to think," he told Corriere dello Sport.

"I don't speak only for Juventus, but for all the Italian teams. We are in a time of great decline, so I think it's really difficult to imagine that a team may invest more than €30 million for a player of this quality."

Despite being the second highest scorers in the division, Antonio Conte's team have struggled to find a regular goalscorer, but Marotta's admission looks to have put an end to rumours of the Bianconeri bolstering their attack.

Juve suffered their first league defeat of the season against Inter last Saturday and are now just one point clear at the top of Serie A as they look to retain their Serie A crown.

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