Radu Dragusin, Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank LampardInstagram/Getty composite

Chelsea wanted Dragusin but playing with Ronaldo at Juventus is a dream – agent

Recent Juventus debutant Radu Dragusin was being courted by Chelsea before the young central defender left Romania, but the player's agent says that he has made the right choice for his career by making a move to the Serie A champions.

Dragusin was handed his first senior appearance on Wednesday, replacing Merih Demiral after 69 minutes as the Bianconeri cruised past Dynamo Kiev 3-0 in the Champions League group stages.

The 18-year-old is clearly very highly rated by head coach Andrea Pirlo and could leave Frank Lampard's Chelsea feeling sheepish in years to come after failing to match Juve's enthusiasm when entering talks with representative Florin Manea.

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“I was in England, I have offices there, and my brother was in Romania watching players,” Manea explained to TMW when asked how the transfer came about. “I'm friends with Juventus scouts and they ask me for recommendations... I hadn't been able to introduce anyone to them for five years.

“My brother called me and told me there's a good boy [in Romania] and I sent him to see with his own eyes. He confirmed my initial impression by telling me he is a star so I quickly reported to Juventus.

“After about an hour, Matteo Tognozzi, Juventus' chief scout, called me: Radu impressed everyone. Other teams were interested too, but the Bianconeri really wanted him. He asked me, 'Where can I become a great central defender?'. Chelsea wanted him too, but that's why he chose Juventus.

“From there he got his head down. Work, sweat, nutrition, he's a real professional. He arrives two hours earlier than everyone and works out at the gym – then he has an athlete like Cristiano Ronaldo as a role model.

“Then there are others, too, like Bonucci, Chiellini... he's been impressed by everyone. Training session after training session he tries to improve from his team-mates. He absorbs a lot, he's self-critical and is always trying to improve.”

Quizzed on whether Dragusin could be prised away from the Italian champions, with the youngster currently on a deal that expires at the end of the season, Manea was unequivocal.

“We've never had the idea of leaving Juventus, signing a new deal will not be a problem. We see his future at Juventus,” he said, before adding, “Three years ago he was watching Ronaldo on television, now he plays with him. Sometimes dreams come true.”

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