Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League giants Liverpool wanted to sign Koni de Winter before the Belgian moved to Serie A with Juventus instead, agent Fabrizio Lioi tells TuttoJuve.
Few in Turin will remember Wednesday’s 1-0 Champions League victory over Malmo with much fondness, even if a hard-earned result did secure top spot in the group-stages for Max Allegri’s underperforming side.
But for De Winter, an otherwise underwhelming meeting with the Scandanavian giants will not be forgotten in a hurry.
The Antwerp-born 19-year-old made his first start in Juventus colours in midweek.
De Winter certainly made the most of his opportunity too, hailed by Allegri at full-time after producing a performance full of ‘quality, technique and personality’.
Why did Koni de Winter choose Juventus over Liverpool?
“As long as Allegri needs him, he will remain in the first team,” says Lioi, the Belgium U21 international’s representative.
“He is tactically intelligent, he is technically good, he has speed, so he can also fill the role of full-back.”
Juventus signed De Winter back in 2018 from Belgium-based outfit Zulte Waragem.
And while the teenager’s arrival made few headlines at the time, it should not be underestimated how difficult a deal this was to do with the Bianconeri fighting off competition from all across the continent.
“Juventus had seen him in a match between the Belgium U16s and Portugal. From there, they started following him and subsequently convinced themselves to buy him,” Lioi adds.
“At that moment, Koni was coveted by Anderlecht, Club Brugge, and all the biggest clubs in Belgium. Liverpool too, along with RB Leipzig and Salzburg were interested.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton showed an interest in the versatile De Winter last summer. It seems unlikely that the Saints, or any of the youngster’s other suitors, will have much luck if they are planning to renew their interest in January however.
Lioi insists that, after earning his first ever start for one of Europe’s biggest clubs, De Winter is going nowhere soon.
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