Juventus wanted El-Shaarawy on a free transfer
The Italian, who joined Roma in 2016 after an initial loan spell at the club from Milan, did well for the giallorossi in his three-year long tenure in the side from the Italian capital. He has now joined Shanghai after a move this past summer.
Corriere dello Sport claim that El-Shaarawy was a big target for the bianconeri for the summer of 2020 as the Old Lady were impressed with his showings for the giallorossi.
El-Shaarawy has started his adventure in China well, scoring three goals in five appearances. His contract at Roma was about to run out in the summer of 2020 and Juve planned on signing him for free at that point.
If not for the move to China, El-Shaarawy would have joined Juve for free in 2020. But their pursuit isn't done yet. They could comeback for him in the future whenever the need arises.