Legendary Juventus Boss Reveals He Almost Signed Roy Keane From Manchester United

​Legendary Italian manager Marcello Lippi recently revealed that he was once close to signing Manchester United captain Roy Keane. 

Lippi was manager of Juventus during Man Utd's famous treble-winning season in 1999, although the Italian had left the club before the two sides met in the Champions League semi-final.

In an interview with the ​Daily Mail, Lippi confessed that he appreciated Keane and he had tried to sign the Irishman during his time on I Bianconeri bench. 

"I loved (Roy) Keane. He was very close to moving to ​Juventus but then failed to negotiate," he is quoted as saying.

The Red Devils went on to win a dramatic second leg in Turin, in which Keane drove his side on to victory, despite picking up a suspension for the subsequent final in Barcelona.

The inspirational captain scored for his side as Sir Alex Ferguson's team produced a brilliant 3-2 comeback. 

​Man Utd would go on to lift the Champions League that year, thanks to two dramatic late goals against ​Bayern Munich, scored by Teddy Sheringham and now Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

Keane stayed at Old Trafford until a bust-up with Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz in 2005 meant that the Ireland international's position at the club was untenable, and his contract was terminated.