Witsel was widely expected to move to Italy during the summer transfer window, with both Juve and Milan having identified the Belgium international as an ideal candidate to bolster their respective midfields.
The Bianconeri ultimately opted to sign Sami Khedira and Mario Lemina, while Milan only made their move for Witsel just before the close of the transfer window and were unable to agree a fee with Zenit.
The Russian champions' general director, Maxim Mitrofanov, has now accused both Serie A sides of disprecting the club by making illegal approaches for the 26-year-old.
"Milan only started negotiating with us for Witsel two days before the close of the transfer market but a concrete proposal never arrived," he told Championat.com. "Our response was: 'Look at the time!'
"We could also write a letter to Uefa saying that Juventus and Milan have negotiated with the player without having our consent.
"The moment in which someone wants to sign our player without our approval, they have to pay the compensation stipulated in the contract. Otherwise, they must first speak with us and meet our conditions."
Mitrofanov also dismissed reports that Witsel had been left unhappy with Zenit's refusal to let him leave, explaining that the former Benfica man had been aware all along that he would not be sold at a knock-down price.
"On the final day of the market, I spoke with the boy and I told him that he would leave only when he asked to and if a satisfactory offer arrived," he added.
"He still has two years on his contract and he promised me that he will remain committed in the Zenit shirt.
"He also understood that some things cannot be done right at the end [of the window], especially when teams present offers that are too vague or there are no concrete offers."
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