Juventus News Roundup: Andrea Pirlo speaks after Napoli victory, defender to renew contract and more | 8th April, 2021
Juventus came away with a monumental victory against Napoli in the Serie A on Wednesday night. Andrea Pirlo's side climbed back to 3rd place in the league table after a 2-1 victory over Napoli.
The Bianconeri are now in pole position to finish in the top 4 but are unlikely to challenge for the title. However, Pirlo should be confident in his side's ability to continue to produce results till the end of the season after the performance against Napoli.
With that being said, here is the latest Juventus news on 8th April, 2021
Andrea Pirlo still disappointed after Juventus win
Andrea Pirlo spoke to the media after Juventus' 2-1 victory over Napoli. The Italian boss seemed to rue his side's inconsistent form this season, which has seen them get knocked out of the Champions League and fall out of the Serie A title race. Pirlo told reporters:
"I made many mistakes but I’d make them all again. This is my first season, I needed those experiences for the present and the future. This was a more complicated campaign, not just for me, but for many other coaches too. Everyone makes mistakes, including me, but I can learn from those and not repeat them in the future."
Pirlo also conceded that the club's aim now is to finish in the top 4, as the Bianconeri are currently 12 points behind league-leaders Inter Milan, who have been unstoppable of late.
"Our objective now is a top-four finish, because it’s difficult to get to the top. There are 10 games to go and it’s a mini-season we hope to win. We then prepare for the Coppa Italia," said Pirlo.
The Juventus boss was also asked about whether he regrets missing out on the Champions League more or the Serie A, to which he replied:
"When you are at Juventus, you don’t choose objectives, you have to get them all. We had the opportunity to go forward in the Champions League, as Porto were on our level, but we didn’t play the right way," said Pirlo.
"In the weeks after that, we also lost to Benevento and that took us out of the Scudetto race. Watching last night’s Champions League game really angered us because we know that we could’ve been one of those teams," Pirlo added.
AC Milan reject swap deal with Juventus
AC Milan have reportedly rejected Juventus' swap deal for defender Alessio Romagnoli. The Bianconeri were willing to offer Federico Bernardeschi to the Rossoneri to acquire Romagnoli in the summer.
However, according to Football Italia, AC Milan are not interested in the swap deal as business between the two clubs has not favoured the Rossoneri in the past. The salaries of the two players are also an issue as Bernardeschi earns significantly more than Romagnoli.
Radu Dragusin to extend his contract with Juventus
Juventus youngster Radu Dragusin is set to extend his contract at the club. The defender was set to be out of a contract at the end of the season, however, it now appears he renew his deal with the Turin club.
According to Calciomercato, the Romanian was tempted with a move away from Juventus, as his opportunities were limited under Andrea Pirlo. The club, though, has convinced Dragusin to extend his contract. The defender was the subject of interest of a host of clubs including RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United.