Juventus chief Alessio Secco is proud of their capture of Werder Bremen midfielder Diego.

"We worked on bringing him here for a long time. When there was a unanimous decision between the directors and the technical staff - Claudio Ranieri included - we took action," Secco told Il Corriere dello Sport.

"At the decisive moment, Bayern Munich inserted themselves into the deal and they were not alone. Negotiations then became much more difficult.

"At a certain point I feared we could lose him," Secco revealed. "Luckily it turned out well in the end.

When asked if Diego will represent value for money at £24.5m, Secco replied: "The figure is important, but we certainly think so, considering the age of the player. He is one of the few players in a position to make a difference."