Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will not be leaving the club in the remainder of the summer and will play against Udinese on Sunday.
Ronaldo, who is out of contract next year, had been linked with a Juve exit over concerns that his wages are too much of a financial burden for the club in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 36-year-old has been linked with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City, all with little substance. There have also been rumours about PSG making an approach next summer when Ronaldo could be a free agent, which would incredibly mean uniting with Lionel Messi.
The Real Madrid speculation was shut down within hours of the first report in Spain last week, with manager Carlo Ancelotti tweeting that there is no plan to re-sign Ronaldo this summer.
Speaking about Ronaldo’s immediate future, Juve boss Allegri clarified that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is going nowhere for the time being.
“He has never wanted to leave. He told me that he's staying, so we can clear that one up. He will be in Udine,” Allegri said, speaking ahead of the club’s Serie A opener this weekend.
Ronaldo himself recently directly addressed the subject of his future with a lengthy social media post to refute ongoing speculation about a possible transfer.
“As well as this most recent episode in Spain, there have been frequent news and stories associating me with a number of clubs in many different leagues, with nobody ever being concerned about trying to find out the actual truth,” Ronaldo said.
“I’m breaking my silence now to say that I can’t allow people to keep playing around with my name. I remain focused on my career and in my work, committed and prepared for all the challenges that I have to face. Everything else? Everything else is just talk.”
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Source : 90min