Will Tether Continue to Attempt to Acquire Juventus?

Juventus’ owners, the billionaire Agnelli family, have said they have no intention of selling the club to Tether or anybody else.  

The CEO of Juventus’s holding company, Exor, said the club, “our history and our values”, were not for sale. John Elkann posted a rare video on the club website. 

Tether submitted an all-cash proposal for Exor’s stake. The offer valued Juventus at $1.17 billion, a 21% premium on the club’s closing share price of 2.19 euros.

What is Tether and why does the company want Juventus?

Tether is run by Paolo Ardoino, a Juventus supporter. The company said its proposal reflected a belief that Juventus are “more than a football club” and represent strength, discipline, and ambition.

Ardoino said Juve have always been part of his life and he grew up with the team. The CEO said Juventus taught him how to deal with success and adversity with dignity. Tether intended to support Juve with “stable capital”. 

In the event of an accepted offer, Tether would invest one billion euros to develop the club, said Ardoino.

Tether helped pioneer stablecoin technology and describes itself as the creator of the “most transparent” stablecoin available. Stablecoins differ from other cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, in that their value is pegged to a traditional asset.

The bitcoin and Tether industries sometimes intersect. Some of the best bitcoin casinos also accept Tether, according to Wweek. Tether is tied to the US dollar so players’ bankrolls are less likely to see dramatic fluctuations. The Bank of Italy says Tether accounts for over half the stablecoin market pegged to the dollar. 

Tether’s chairman and co-founder, Giancarlo Devasini, already owns an 11.5% stake in Juventus. The club is listed on the Milan stock exchange. 

The Agnelli family’s Juve connection

Andrea Agnelli was chairman of Juventus between 2010 and 2022. During that time, Juve won nine consecutive Serie A titles. Andrea is the son of former chairman Umberto Agnelli.

The family have been majority investors of the club since 1949, since its conversion to a legal corporate entity similar to a limited liability company. It had already managed the club since 1923, when Edoardo Agnelli became chair.

The Agnelli family are the world’s longest standing football owners.

Juventus are the most successful club in Italian football history with 36 league titles. Their closest challenger, Inter, have 20 Serie A trophies. 

Reuters reported that any sale would be seen as a clear sign of the family’s “gradual disengagement” from Italy. Exor moved its legal domicile to the Netherlands in 2016. Last year the family sold Iveco Group NV, its last link to heavy truck manufacturing, part of their history for over a century. 

As of yet, there is no news of a second bid from Tether. 

Juventus’ struggles

Since winning their ninth consecutive title in 2020, Juventus have had a relatively difficult time. They are not in this season’s title race, with Inter clear favourites, and last year finished 4th.

Juve have two Coppa Italia trophies since last winning the league, but have not finished above 3rd in that time. Inter have made an imperious start to 2026 and are odds-on favourites for the Serie A crown. Juventus also have Napoli, Roma, and Milan to catch if they are to make an unlikely dart for the title. Juventus’s autumn may prove costly in their run for Champions League, having failed to win in five league games between late September and late October. 

The former home of greats like Alessandro Del Piero, Zinedine Zidane, Gianluigi Buffon, and Andrea Pirlo, Juventus’ fall can be seen in the lack of stars in their current squad. Young players like Kenan Yıldız are regarded as their most valuable. 

Players such as Del Piero won six league titles and a Champions League with the club. Pirlo won four titles to add to his two with Milan. The midfielder returned to Juventus as manager and won the Coppa Italia. He has since managed Fatih Karagümrük in Turkey and Sampdoria, and is currently in charge of United FC in Dubai. 

This season Juventus have spent a total of 137.30 million euros on transfers. Much of this was on players largely signed for the future, such as Francisco Conceição.
Exor’s statement said the Agnelli are fully committed to the club.