Juventus' 26-year-old ace sparked tension after rejecting Aston Villa's higher wages
By Eduardo Razo
Weston McKennie was nearly sold this past summer transfer window. However, Juventus should be thankful that they didn't offload the American and could thrive under new manager Thiago Motta.
Despite only playing 23 minutes in the match against Roma, his only Serie A appearance, the 26-year-old responded when given the UEFA Champions League start this week against PSV Eindhoven.
McKennie scored in the first half to give Juventus a 2-0 advantage as the Italian club would win 3-1. Amid the amazing performance on Tuesday, details of why the midfielder didn't leave Turin are emerging.
Was Juventus angry at Weston McKennie?
Calciomercato reported on Wednesday that McKennie upset Juventus by turning down a move to Aston Villa, which nearly complicated the Douglas Luiz deal.
In an ironic twist, McKennie played in Luiz's spot and scored, making his decision to reject offers from Galatasaray and Fiorentina to stay at Juventus look even more brilliant.
The Italian media outlet adds that McKennie could have earned around €3 million plus bonuses at Aston Villa. Still, he chose to renew with Juventus until 2026, keeping his €2.5 million salary.
This shows that money wasn’t his main focus. Motta’s choice to trust him has paid off, and now McKennie is ready for a fresh start at Juventus. Since joining Juventus in 2021, the United States native has made 136 appearances for the Old Lady, scoring 14 goals and registering 15 assists.
It will be interesting to see if the midfielder does begin to flourish under Motta and tap into his potential as he's now in the prime years of his career.
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