Juventus GM Beppe Marotta admits they were beaten by AS Roma for Juan Manuel Iturbe over the summer.
Iturbe left Hellas Verona for Roma after a long pursuit.
Marotta said: "He is a strong player and over the summer we tried to contact him, but evidently Roma had more disposable income at the time.
"Over the last three years Roma have closed the gap on Juventus and Rudi Garcia has found consistency. Sabatini also constructed a much stronger squad than last year, so they are a serious candidate for the Scudetto."
