Juventus 'announce' Arda Guler transfer in bizarre social media post as fans baffled

Juventus have caused confusion with an intriguing social media post welcoming Real Madrid star Arda Guler to the club. Their official English-language X account, followed by more than 3.4 million people, posted a photo of the 19-year-old apparently getting off a plane in Italy.

The caption read: “Welcome to Juventus, Arda Guler! The rising football star is now part of the Juventus family.

“Ready to make history together on this new journey? #WelcomeArda #ForzaJuve

The update left fans stunned and confused, given Guler only arrived in Madrid last year from Fenerbahce. He signed a deal that was set to last until June 2029 and, regardless, would not be able to leave until the January transfer window unless his contract was canceled.

However, it has since emerged that the image was taken in July, apparently upon his return from Euro 2024 in Germany. During the tournament, he became the youngest debutant to find the net at the Euros, scoring in the 3–1 win over Georgia.

Many users then began to speculate that the club's account had been tampered with. And this idea was apparently confirmed by a La Gazzetta du Sport journalist, who reposted the upload.

“Juventus official English account has been hacked,” he wrote, alongside a laughing emoji. “The arrival of Arda Guler has been made official.”

Turkish sports journalist Yago Sabuncuoglu added: “The claims that Arda Guler transferred to Juventus do not reflect the truth.” Indeed, the pirates themselves later clarified that they were joking.

Indeed, the club's main X account, which uses Italian and has more than 10 million followers, does not contain any posts relating to Guler. He had been active around three hours before the false revelation, sharing a video of Weston McKennie's header against Empoli in 2022, under the hashtag #goaloftheday.

Guler is considered one of the rising stars of world football, but so far he has failed to secure a regular starting place in Madrid. He has made 23 appearances for club since his transfer 15 months ago, scoring six times.

The star was an unused substitute in Saturday's 2-1 win over Celta Vigo. His lack of playing time has prompted speculation that Guler may look to move elsewhere in order to avoid his career ending.