Cristiano Ronaldo has decided he no longer wants to play for Juventus, coach Massimiliano Allegri revealed on Friday, as rumours of an imminent move to Manchester City gather pace.
“Yesterday Ronaldo told me that he no longer has any intention of playing for Juventus, for this reason he will not be picked tomorrow,” Allegri told reporters ahead of Juve’s Serie A match against Empoli on Saturday.
Premier League champions City have been widely linked with a move for five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo after missing out on England captain Harry Kane.
Earlier on Friday Juve had confirmed that Ronaldo would not train with his teammates, with Sky Sport Italia reporting that the superstar forward arrived at the club’s Continassa training centre in the morning to say goodbye to his teammates before leaving at around 10:45 am local time (0845 GMT).
On Thursday Sky had claimed the Portugal captain had already cleaned out his locker in the dressing room despite Allegri and club director Pavel Nedved both insisting last weekend that he would remain in Turin.
Allegri even told reporters that Ronaldo has told him personally that he wanted to stay.
According to daily Gazzetta Dello Sport, a deal for superstar Ronaldo to go to City could be completed within the next 24 hours, with the summer transfer window set to close on Tuesday.
The fee, however, could be a problem with the Italians believed to be wanting in the region of 25 million euros ($29.4 million).
Ronaldo, who has one year remaining on his contract, has also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and a return to Real Madrid.
