Udinese patron Giampaolo Pozzo admits Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini came close to buying the club.
The two clubs face eachother on the weekend and Pozzi revealed: "In the '90s Maurizio was close to buying Udinese. Almost 20 years have past. He was interested, but the operation was complicated. There were some difficulties.
"We are friends in healthy competition. He lives here and is from Friuli like me. It will be an opportunity to face each other on a sporting level, because when the game ends nothing changes."