Michelangelo Rampulla has told the Gazzetta dello Sport that Juventus nearly signed Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea when he was just 16 years old.

De Gea is arguably one of the most prized assets for United at the moment but it has now emerged that things could have been very different for the Spaniard.

According to former player Rampulla, Juventus were keen on securing the services of a 16-year-old De Gea when he was with the Atletico Madrid youth team as a potential replacement for Gianluigi Buffon following the club's relegation into Serie B back in 2006, but the transfer did not take place as Buffon decided to remain loyal to the Bianconeri.

Rampulla said: "He stayed, the great person that he is, but I was given a list of possible replacements.

"The very first on that list was Spaniard De Gea, then he was very young. The best idea is that, given the tradition, Juve relies on an Italian goalkeeper."