Teen sensation Pietro Pellegri signed for Monaco to get more game time, claims agent

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Bengaluru, February 5: Pietro Pellegri, the 16-year-old sensation who signed for Monaco this winter rejecting offers from Juventus and Arsenal, chose the Ligue 1 side to maintain his progress and get more playing time, according to his agent.

The footballing world saw a serious tug of war between some top clubs to gain the services of the teen sensation, who burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old in 2016 when he made his debut with the senior team of Genoa.

Since then, the player has been with the senior Italian squad and was used as a backup player mostly this season. He only made nine appearances for Serie A side Genoa and even in the limited appearances he got, he scored three goals and showed a glimpse of what he can offer.

Seeing his huge potential, clubs like Arsenal and Juventus made a quick enquiry about the player. At the beginning, it was believed that Juventus, who are known for acquiring top Italian players, reached an agreement with Genoa for the player.

But in a surprising turn of events, the player rejected the Juventus offer and eventually signed for French giants Monaco for €25 million to become the most expensive 16-year-old in football history.

And as per his agent Beppe Riso, the player changed his destination to France due to the French club's history of nurturing young players.

“He is a young player and the club has invested in his future as well as the present,” Riso told Footmercato.

“Despite all of this, he feels no pressure. Monaco can wait six months, a year, the important thing is that he progresses. Pietro has the mentality of a winner. He wants to work ceaselessly in order to improve and grow.”

He added: “We thought this was the best option for the player’s progress. Monaco are specialists at getting the best out of young players and that is the main reason why we chose them.

"It’s a well-organised club with a great coach, Leonardo Jardim. Pietro can certainly grow with his guidance.

“We didn’t say no to other interested clubs, rather we simply said yes to Monaco for various reasons. There’s more room for young players here and that allows talents to express themselves more freely.

“Monaco were clear on their working method with Pietro and the coach knows how to help make champions.”