AS Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg admits he came close to joining Juventus in the summer.

The two clubs face eachother on Monday night at the Stadio Olimpico and the Dutchman has divulged an interesting transfer secret.

"There was a time in the past when it was thought that Gigi Buffon would leave Juventus," the 29-year-old told Tuttosport.

"That was when I was contacted by the club, but nothing ever came of it."

Stekelenburg eventually arrived in Italy over the summer after Roma and Ajax finally reached a compromise over a move.

"I wanted to have an experience abroad and the Roma project was an intriguing one," he added.