Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri hints at possible signing of Barcelona midfielder
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has dropped a hint regarding Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic's possible return to the club.
Allegri returned to Juventus as the club's manager after two years and has a considerable task at hand - taking them back to the pinnacle of Serie A. The Italian giants finished fourth in the league last season after winning nine consecutive Serie A titles.
Ahead of the new season, Allegri was quizzed about his possible free-kick takers. While the 53-year-old mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala as two possible options, he revealed that a right-footed player 'who can take free-kicks' could be joining the club soon.
"We have Cristiano [Ronaldo], who is good at shooting from distance, as well as [Paulo] Dybala, who is good from a closer range," Allegri said (as reported by Marca).
"And soon a good right-footed player who can take freekicks could be arriving."
Pjanic left Juventus for Barcelona in the 2020 summer transfer window but things didn't go according to plan for him at Camp Nou. He made 30 appearances for them in the 2020-21 season but couldn't get on the scoresheet or provide an assist.
The Bosnian has now been linked with a move back to Juventus and Allegri's comments will only fuel those rumors.
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Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri urges Ronaldo to take more responsibility
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, meanwhile, has urged Ronaldo to take more responsibility for next season as the club tries to reclaim the Serie A title.
The Juventus boss revealed he has had a discussion with Ronaldo regarding the same. The Portuguese has been linked with a move away from the club in the summer but it seems he will now end up staying.
"Ronaldo's a great player and a smart guy. I spoke to him yesterday as I did with the others. I told him that this is an important season and that I am happy to meet him again. Now he has more responsibility, because three years ago we had a more experienced team, while now there are younger players," said Allegri.
"I expect a lot more from him in terms of responsibility, he is in good condition and he is fit. There are different moments in a season, playing one game every three days I'll need to rotate the team, involving all the players. I imagine the players' management wasn't easy during the last year and a half," he added.