Tether believes it can bring success back to Juventus, and despite mounting losses at the club, the Agnelli Family maintains the club is in safe hands.
Juventus have rejected a $1.2bn bid from Tether to acquire full ownership of the Italian football club.
Exor, the Agnelli family’s holding company which currently owns 10% of the club, confirmed on December 13 that its Board of Directors had “unanimously rejected” the “unsolicited” offer.
The bid was submitted on December 12 by Tether, the issuer of the USDT stablecoin, which proposed to acquire Exor’s 65.4% majority stake in Juventus.
“Exor N.V. announces that its Board of Directors has unanimously rejected an unsolicited proposal submitted by Tether Investments, S.A. de C.V to acquire all of the shares of Juventus Football Club S.p.A. owned by Exor,” the statement said.
“Exor reaffirms its previous, consistent statements that it has no intention of selling any of its shares in Juventus to a third party, including but not restricted to El Salvador-based Tether.
“Juventus is a storied and successful club, of which Exor and the Agnelli family are the stable and proud shareholders for over a century, and they remain fully committed to the Club, supporting its new management team in the execution of a clear strategy to deliver strong results both on and off the field.”
Why Tether launched its bid
In February 2025, Tether acquired a minority stake in Juventus with an aim to “revolutionise” the global sports landscape by integrating its blockchain technology into Juventus’ club infrastructure, such as digital assets, AI, and biotech.
The latest development in Juventus and Tether’s relationship came in November, when Tether gained a seat on the club’s Board of Directors through the appointment of Francesco Garino.
Increasing its influence in the club, Tether’s takeover proposal promised to contribute to the club’s future, backed by stable capital and long-term ambitions to “support sporting performance at the highest level”, as well as to grow sustainably.
Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, is also a long-time Juventus fan and admitted the club has “always been part of my life” and wanted to bring success back to the club which has been dormant over the past several years.
Struggles on-and-off the pitch
While Juventus remain the most successful Italian club to date, the Turin-based team have experienced hardships on and off the pitch..
Off the back of winning nine consecutive Serie A league titles from 2012 to 2020, Juventus have since failed to add to their record 36 Scudetto titles.
During the 2022/23 season, Juventus were deducted 10 points due to capital gains violations, which saw the resignation of Andrea Agnelli as Chairman as the club subsequently finished 7th, its worst finish in over a decade.
Pre-tax losses at Juventus have also plagued the club, amounting to €944m since the 2016/17 season to the 2024/25 season. The club has not posted an annual net profit since the 2016/17 season, despite revenue rising from the year before from 371m in 2023/24, to 439.8m in 2024/25.
