Pierre Kalulu has claimed that he never feared the prospect of Juventus not buying him permanently, and thus returning to AC Milan.
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After falling down the pecking order at Milan following his arrival from Lyon, the decision was made to allow Kalulu to join Juventus on a season-long loan deal that included an option to buy.
He impressed there under Thiago Motta, and despite the fact that he was sacked and Igor Tudor arrived to replace him, the triggering of that buy-out clause always seemed a mere formality.
Indeed, it was made official last week that Juve have chosen to make the Frenchman’s loan a permanent stay. It is believed that Milan will pocket around €14m plus €3m in bonuses from the sale, in addition to the €3m loan fee.
The defender speaks
Kalulu gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport from Juventus’ training camp in the United States for the Club World Cup. He was asked if he was worried that he might not end up a permanent Bianconeri player.
“Honestly, I was never afraid that Juventus would not buy me back. I always had faith in my work and I am happy that everything went well,” he said (via MilanPress).
“I was on loan, but in reality since last summer I have always felt part of the team and the Juve environment. My situation has changed on a contractual level, but the rest is the same.”