"a few bucks" - suuuuuure. There was absolutely no way we were competing with City for Agüero. They could offer Atlético more money (transfer fee of €45m), they could offer the player more money (~€10m a season after tax), and they could offer the player Champions League football.
Regarding Nesta, I still think he's great. He'd really suit the Juve shirt, always wanted to see him in one.