Claudio Marchisio Joins Zenit St Petersburg on Free Transfer Following Departure From Juventus

Following a summer overhaul at Juventus which saw the Serie A champions shock European football with the capture of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, the Italian giants allowed a number of first team stars to move. Veteran midfielder Claudio Marchisio was among those to depart, and the Italian has now joined Russian side Zenit St Petersburg.

Marchisio had his contract with Juventus terminated by mutual consent, allowing the 32-year-old to move to a new club on a free transfer. Russian Premier League side Zenit have now taken advantage by securing the signature of the seven-time Serie A winner, the club have confirmed.

Further to the blockbuster signing of Ronaldo, Juventus also splashed big money on the signings of Douglas Costa on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich and Leonardo Bonucci for his high-profile return to Turin from Milan.

Joao Cancelo and Mattia Perin also arrived in major deals for Max Allegri’s side, whilst Emre Can’s arrival on a free transfer from Liverpool paved the way for midfield departures. Stefano Sturaro departed from Juve’s central contingent, whilst the departure of Marchisio marks the end of a career-spanning spell for a club icon.

Marchisio joined Juventus’ youth ranks in 1993, before being promoted to the senior side in 2005 and going on to enjoy a trophy-laden career in Turin, with only a loan spell at Empoli in 2007 breaking up the veteran’s career with The Old Lady.

Gonzalo Higuain was among the high profile departures from Juventus over the summer designed to regenerate some of the funds invested in the likes of Ronaldo at the club, but Marchisio’s departure is one which, along with the exit of goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon this summer, marks the end of an era for Juventus.