Tether made a bold move—and Juventus shut it down almost immediately.
The stablecoin giant’s $1.3 billion all-cash bid to acquire Italian football powerhouse Juventus was rejected within a day, after the Agnelli family made one thing clear: the club is not for sale.
Through its holding company Exor, the family reaffirmed it has no intention of selling any stake in Juventus, “including but not limited to” Tether.
The Numbers Behind the Bid
Tether publicly announced its binding offer on Friday, proposing €2.66 per share for Exor’s 65.4% controlling stake. That represented a 21% premium over Juventus’ Friday closing price of €2.19, valuing the club at roughly €1.1 billion.
And Tether wasn’t stopping there.
The company also pledged to inject another €1 billion into Juventus’ long-term development if the deal went through, an aggressive signal that this wasn’t a passive investment, but a full-scale takeover plan.
For Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, the bid was personal.
“Juventus has always been part of my life,” Ardoino said, describing how the club shaped his ideas of commitment and resilience while growing up. The offer wasn’t just financial—it was emotional, strategic, and symbolic.
Tether had already been quietly building its position. The company bought a minority stake in February, raised it to over 10% by April, and supported Dr. Francesco Garino as a board candidate last year. The takeover bid was the logical next step.
Despite Juventus’ well-documented financial struggles, more than €1 billion in capital injections over seven year, the Agnelli family has shown zero appetite to relinquish control of the club they’ve owned for decades through their Fiat-era industrial empire.
Juventus may be under pressure, but it remains one of Italy’s most valuable football brands, backed by sponsors like Adidas, Jeep, and Allianz.
For Exor, control matters more than cash.
A Setback in Tether’s Bigger Strategy
The rejection is a rare public setback for Tether, which has been rapidly expanding beyond its core USDT stablecoin business. The company reported over $10 billion in net profit in the first nine months of 2025 and has been deploying capital across AI, robotics, Bitcoin mining, and advanced manufacturing.
Just last week, Tether joined a €70 million funding round for Italian humanoid robotics startup Generative Bionics. A Juventus acquisition would have been its highest-profile investment yet.
The Takeaway
Tether’s failed Juventus bid highlights two realities:
- Crypto-native companies now have the capital and ambition to target legacy institutions.
- Some assets, especially culturally iconic ones, aren’t for sale at any price.
Tether may have the money, but when it comes to Juventus, the Agnelli family still holds the final whistle.
