Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus said to plan bond market debut

Italian football club plans to sell €150 million (Dh621.8m) of notes maturing in about five years, according to a source

Juventus' forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The Italian club is said to be planning its euro bond market debut. AFP

Juventus Football Club intends to make its debut in the euro bond market, offering investors a chance to finance Italy’s most-decorated soccer franchise.

The club plans to sell €150 million (Dh621.8m) of notes maturing in about five years, according to a source. Morgan Stanley and UBI Banca will manage the sale, the source said.

Juventus, which signed five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo last year, follows local rival Inter Milan and England-based Manchester United into bond markets. Inter priced €300 million of five-year notes in December 2017, which now yield about 4.8 per cent, while Manchester United sold dollar and pound notes in 2010 to refinance debt from a leveraged buyout.

Turin-based Juventus has dominated Italian soccer in recent years, finishing last season with a seventh consecutive domestic league title and a fourth straight win in the Italian Cup. The 120-year-old club was also the topic of a two-season TV series on Netflix.

Separately, Juventus announced it has signed the player Aaron Ramsey from English Premier League club Arsenal. Reports have said Ramsey, on a four-year contact, will earn around £400,000 (Dh1.8m) per week following the transfer, for which Arsenal will not be entitled to a fee. He will leave the north London club 11 years after arriving from Cardiff City.