Shares of Italian football giant Juventus spiked after Exor, the club’s majority owner, publicly rebuffed a takeover attempt from stablecoin issuer Tether. What happened - On Friday Tether Investments reportedly made an unsolicited all-cash offer to buy Exor’s Juventus stake at €2.66 per share ($3.13), about 21% above Friday’s close, valuing the club at roughly €1.1 billion ($1.29 billion). - Exor’s board unanimously rejected the proposal in a Saturday statement, reiterating that it “has no intention of selling any of its shares in Juventus to a third-party, including but not restricted to El Salvador-based Tether.” - The market reacted quickly: Juventus stock jumped more than 17% on the news, closing at €2.56 ($3.01). Even so, the club’s market cap sits near €924 million ($1.08 billion) and its shares remain down roughly 19% over the past year and over 62% versus five years ago. Why it matters for crypto and sports investors - Tether’s bid highlights continuing crypto-sector interest in high-profile sports assets. The stablecoin issuer—best known for USDT—bought a minority stake in Juventus in February, and this unsolicited offer signals an escalation in its sports investments. - It’s uncertain whether Tether will return with a higher bid after markets re-rate the club following the initial approach. Tether did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Tether’s recent deal-making - The offer to Exor comes amid a string of aggressive investments by Tether. Last week it joined an $81 million seed round for an Italian robotics firm, and in November it acquired another 1 million shares of YouTube rival Rumble, bringing its Rumble position to about $679 million at current prices. - The firm is also reportedly seeking capital itself—aiming to raise roughly $20 billion at a proposed $500 billion valuation—as stablecoins continue to expand their footprint across finance and alternative assets. Bottom line Exor’s rejection leaves Juventus in the hands of its current majority owner for now, but the episode underscores how crypto firms—particularly the major stablecoin issuers—are increasingly using balance-sheet muscle to pursue marquee sports and media assets. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

#BTC #USDT