TOTTENHAM sporting director Fabio Paratici is under investigation after Italian police raided former club Juventus.
The Serie A giants are being probed over transfer dealings – including Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid and to Manchester United – plus payments to agents.
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Italian authorities have confiscated documents relating to transfers, invoices and financial statements from Juventus’ offices in Turin and Milan.
Six Juve officials, including club president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved, plus Paratici – who was Juventus sporting director before taking up a similar role with Spurs last summer – are under investigation.
Spurs declined to comment on Saturday night.
Ronaldo arrived to a great fanfare in 2018 before joining United in August after telling boss Massimiliano Allegri he had “no intention” of seeing out the final year of his £500,000-per-week contract.
A probe by Italy’s football watchdog COVISOC and finance regulator Consob has already been opened. And Italian reports claim cops are investigating profits grossing £42m over a 24-month spell.
Turin prosecutor Anna Maria Loreto revealed: “Several transfer operations of professional players and the services rendered by some agents involved in the related intermediation are under consideration.”
Italian reports claim a total of 42 transfers – including those involving Joao Cancelo, Arthur, Danilo and Miralem Pjanic – are also being scrutinised.
Juventus are Italy’s most successful club with 36 league titles and listed on Milan’s stock exchange.
A Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office statement read: “Soldiers of the Guardia di Finanza have been carrying out local searches at the Turin and Milan offices of Juventus.
“The financiers of the Turin Economic-Financial Police Unit were instructed to find documentation relating to the company financial statements approved in the years 2019-2021, with reference to both the purchase and sale of rights to the sports performance of players.
“At present, the activities are aimed at ascertaining the crime of false communications from listed companies and issuing invoices for non-existent transactions, towards the top management and the managers of the business, financial and sports management areas.”
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