Juventus Transfer News: Emiliano Rigoni Reveals He Rejected Bianconeri

Atalanta winger Emiliano Rigoni said he turned down Serie A giants Juventus during the summer transfer window so he could join his current club instead.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), the Argentinian explained why he picked to move to the club in Bergamo:

"It was the club that wanted me more than any other.

"And Serie A is the top. I couldn’t have chosen any differently after the experience in Russia.

"Other offers? Yes, I’m thinking above all of Juventus, who wanted me, but I’d been talking to La Dea for a year and I think the determination with which a club looks for you is crucial."

Rigoni moved to Italy on loan from Zenit Saint Petersburg this summer and made it clear he has no intention of returning to Russia in the interview. He also said he wants to be bought by either Atalanta or "another European team."

The 25-year-old has made a fine start to his Serie A career and stole the show with a brace in Atalanta's 3-3 draw with Roma, as you can see in these highlights:

Rigoni has liberally swapped clubs in the last few years, moving from Belgrano to Independiente before making the switch to Europe in 2017. After one year with Zenit, he arrived at Atalanta.

The club from Bergamo have done a fine job developing talent and selling players on for a profit over the last few years. The likes of Franck Kessie, Andrea Conti and Mattia Caldara have all netted the club a nice transfer fee recently.

According to Football Italia, Atalanta are believed to have an option to make the Rigoni deal a permanent move, and based on the early returns, they're widely expected to use it. 

Juventus entered the summer with a surplus of wide players and offloaded Marko Pjaca in a deal with Fiorentina. Douglas Costa, Mario Mandzukic, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi are expected to rotate in and out of the squad this season.