Luka Modric set to leave Real Madrid with AC Milan man being lined up as replacement

Luka Modric has given an ultimatum to Real Madrid to offer him a better contract or he leaves the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 36-year-old Ballon d’Or winner is in a contract standoff with Real Madrid, led by Florentino Perez. The Croat believes that Madrid is disrespecting him and his service to the club with the latest offer which they have presented to him.

Modric is out of contract at the Spanish club in the summer and wants to renew with Madrid, who also are keen to keep the midfielder, who is still regarded as one of the best in the world even at his age.

However, El Nacional reports that the midfielder wants a two-year contract instead of what the club is currently offering him, which he feels is disrespectful.

Modric is also willing to reduce his salary, per the reports, if he is given the two-year contract he desires, to show his loyalty to the club, where he has stated in the past that he would like to end his career.

Modric joined Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 for around £40 million and has played 411 times for Madrid thus far, scoring 28 times and winning multiple trophies as one of the club’s modern legends.

Manchester City monitoring Modric and Madrid standoff

Manchester City are reportedly weighing up a shock move for Modric, which will depend on the outcome of the contract renewal negotiations between the midfield general and Los Blancos.

Pep Guardiola is said to be ready to welcome the former Spurs man to Manchester City “with open arms” as he seeks to add to his amazing depth in the middle of the park for the Premier League champions.

El Nacional reports that Modric wants to go into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the highest level and so wants to remain at Madrid, but City and Guardiola are ready to offer him a reasonable payday as he nears the end of his playing career.

The report also claims that Modric is open to a Premier League return and would not mind moving to the Etihad if it means he will keep playing at the highest level.

Real Madrid identify Modric replacement

Meanwhile, Los Blancos are already preparing for life after Luka Modric as they enter the race to sign Franck Kessie.

The midfielder is currently at the African Cup of Nations with Cote d’Ivoire, chasing a third title for the Elephants, but is the subject of numerous transfer speculations. The 25-year-old will be out of contract with AC Milan in the summer and is not interested in renewing with the Rossoneri after five seasons at the club.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have been the clubs interested in Kessie. However, El Nacional now reports that the midfielder has piqued Madrid’s interest as they see him replacing Modric in the squad.

Barcelona looked to be in pole position to sign Kessie but now, Madrid have hijacked that position as they seek to land the powerful box-to-box midfielder to their ranks as they prepare for life after Modric.

Kessie reportedly seeks a lucrative contract and Madrid is up to the task. The midfielder will make a decision after the AfCON tournament.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic joins Cristiano Ronaldo in exclusive list

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 40, has further staked his claim to be one of the games most legendary strikers after he joined Manchester United forward and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo record as the only players to have scored against 80 different teams.

Ibrahimovic, who is one of only five active players to have scored more than 500 career goals, is determined to ensure that he achieves as much as he can individually as he nears the end of a very illustrious playing career.

The big Swede joined AC Milan in 2020 for a third stint after taking almost a year away from the sport and has been phenomenal for the Rossoneri. The former Paris Saint-Germain forward has scored 36 goals in 64 games for the club, taking his tally to 92 goals in 149 appearances in Rossoneri colours.

This season, he is the club’s top scorer in Serie A with eight goals from 13 games to put him among players with the best goal-per-minute ratio in Italy this season.

Ibrahimovic scored his eighth goal of the season in the first two minutes of AC Milan’s win over Venezia to equal Ronaldo’s record. He tapped in from close range following a cross from fellow attacker Rafael Leao to put the Italian giants ahead.

The goal was one of three unreplied goals scored by Milan on Sunday night, as they go head to head with city rivals and stadium neighbours Internazionale for the Serie A title this season, one point separating both teams as things stand.

Ibrahimovic not looking forward to retirement

Ibrahimovic signed with Milan for one year in the summer of 2020 but his impressive performances convinced manager Stefano Pioli to urge the board to keep him for another year.

There has been no concrete news of a contract extension and as such, plenty of speculation surrounding the former Barcelona man’s career has sprung up. Some reports, however, claim that Milan is looking into the possibility of giving Zlatan one more year as they continue their squad rebuild in the same vein as stadium neighbours Inter Milan.

Ibrahimovic, who has also come out of international competition retirement to play for the Swedish national team again as he targets one last World Cup finals appearance, previously talked about his fear of retiring from the game he still loves with a passion.

“I want to play as long as possible,” he told the Italian talk show Che Tempo Che Fa earlier this month. “As long as I have that adrenaline, I will continue.

“I don’t know what will happen after football, so I am a little scared to stop. We’ll see, but I want to continue playing so that I don’t have any regrets.

“Let’s put pressure on Milan here to give me an extension and I hope to stay at Milan for life,” Ibrahimovic added.

“I still have objectives that I can achieve and I want to win another Scudetto.”

Gareth Bale considering retirement from football after 2021/22 season

Gareth Bale is set to call time on his illustrious career at the end of the season, but could extend it further if Wales qualify for the World Cup, according to reports.

The Wales star is said to only be focused on making sure that his country qualifies for the December 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and will retire if that target is not met.

Wales will have to play a play-off game against Austria, and beat either Scotland or Ukraine if they beat Austria to qualify for their first World Cup in 64 years.

Should Wales scale these hurdles, the 32-year-old could also move to the English Championship to play for Cardiff City or Swansea City in order to maintain match fitness for the tournament.

Bale has been at Real Madrid since 2013 and has won 13 titles including four Champions League titles, two LaLiga titles and one Copa Del Rey title which he scored the most famous goal of his career to seal for Los Blancos.

He has, however, been out of favour at the Spanish giants for the past two seasons and with his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu expiring in the summer, he has reportedly made his decision to bow out of the sport.

Bale could sign a short-term contract close to home, reports say

Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol made these claims on Friday.

“If Wales don’t qualify for the World Cup I think there is a very good chance that Bale will just retire from football when his contract runs out in the summer because he feels he’s achieved everything he set out to achieve in the game,” Solhekol said.

“If he’s not going to be able to play in the World Cup with Wales then he’ll retire.

Solhekol further claimed that Bale will seek a club close to home to play for in order to stay match fit for Wales, should they qualify.

“What I think he will then do is try to sign a short-term contract with a club back in the Premier League or the Championship.

“I actually think it is more likely that it could be a club in Wales in the Championship that he signs a short-term contract with,” said Solhekol.

The Athletic‘s David Ornstein made the same claims in his column.

“If Wales safely navigate the qualification play-offs and Bale wants to feature in the finals, he will look to join a club – unlikely to be one at the very top level – in order to prepare himself for the December tournament,” Ornstein wrote.

Cardiff or Swansea are the touted clubs where Bale could be winding down his playing career. Both clubs will be keen to secure Bale’s services if financial terms can be agreed.

Solhekol: Bale has achieved everything he wanted in club game

“This is an interesting story about Gareth Bale because obviously he is out of contract in the summer,” Solhekol said.

“He has always maintained he will stay at Real Madrid until the end of his deal, even though he may not be playing regularly.

“I think if Wales qualify for the World Cup then he’s going to be without a club in the summer because his contract is set to expire at Real Madrid. So what I think he will then do is try to sign a short-term contract with a club back in the Premier League or the Championship.

“I actually think it is more likely that it could be a club in Wales in the Championship that he signs a short-term contract with.

“And if Wales don’t qualify for the World Cup I think there is a very good chance that Bale will just retire from football when his contract runs out in the summer because he feels he’s achieved everything he set out to achieve in the game and if he’s not going to be able to play in the World Cup with Wales then he’ll retire.”

Cristiano Ronaldo told to “keep mouth shut” after threatening to leave Old Trafford

Earlier in the week, Daily Star reported that Cristiano Ronaldo issued an ultimatum to the Manchester United hierarchy to appoint a manager who he feels comfortable with or he leaves.

Following the report, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been told to keep his mouth shut as his comments could become an even bigger problem in the Old Trafford dressing room.

The 36-year-old only rejoined the club where he became a global superstar only a few months ago in order to begin a grand exit to his illustrious career. He and the club, however, have not had the best time together despite his stellar performance leading the attack for them.

He signed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was fired a few months into his Old Trafford return. Michael Carrick took over as caretaker for three weeks, and now, Ronaldo will have to see off the rest of the season with Ralf Rangnick.

The former Red Bull Leipzig manager is serving in an interim capacity and could be considered for a permanent role if he meets the hierarchy’s criteria after the season ends. Ronaldo is reportedly not in favour of this decision.

Otherwise, the German will be moving upstairs to a consultancy role after his interim stint is over and this means a new coach will lead the Red Devils into the 2022/23 season. 

And Ronaldo, who signed for Manchester United in the summer for two seasons, has threatened to leave the club if the new manager is someone he does not approve of.

Ronaldo’s ultimatum annoying many

This report follows a story from the Mirror which claims that as many as 11 first team players are looking for a way out of Old Trafford as they are unhappy with the way the club is being run currently under Rangnick, who will still be in the picture after his interim manager tenure expires.

The Real Madrid top scorer is looking forward to winning more titles with United and has not been happy about how his second stint at the club is going.

He has taken to social media a few times to express his disappointment, and even showed it on the pitch a number of times. His latest sentiments, however, do not sit well with a lot of people.

Former England international Trevor Sinclair blasted the 36-year-old for his comments while speaking to talkSPORT. Sinclair played for Manchester City, who came close to signing Ronaldo before United hijacked the deal, in his day.

Sinclair opined that City “dodged a bullet” following the controversies Ronaldo’s presence at Old Trafford has caused, while telling him to keep his mouth shut.

“I’m starting to think that Manchester City dodged a bullet by not signing Cristiano, I really think that,” he told talkSPORT.

“You look at some of the players that are struggling for form at Manchester United, young players, Sancho, Rashford, they’re really struggling for good performances.

“Of course you can [blame Ronaldo for that]. Know your role, know your role. You’re a footballer, you’re hired by the football club.

“Keep your mouth shut because at times that’s the best thing to do. He’s causing a lot of problems at the football club.

“Not just his lack of goals in recent times, but the fact that Ole’s gone and Michael went in and dropped him for a game.”

Signing Ronaldo has not worked out for United, says Sinclair

Ronaldo is famously known for going after his personal goals with a one-track mind, even being accused of making teams play for him by former teammates.

Sinclair also brought up the issue in his discussion with talkSPORT, questioning if the Portugal captain has United’s best interests at heart and isn’t just using them as a stepping stone for his own ambitions.

“I just feel it’s been one of those signings where it looked good, but it’s far from good,” Sinclair added.

“For me, one of the reasons I think he may not have considered Manchester City, and it’s certainly not winning trophies because he would have won a lot of silverware there.

“I think it’s because he didn’t want to be second fiddle to Pep. Whereas he could go into Manchester United, he could almost feel like he could bully Ole.

“And I think he just wants to do what he wants for him and it’s not the best for the club.”

Former Real Madrid manager set to thwart club efforts to sign Kylian Mbappe

Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane could prevent the club from signing Kylian Mbappe in the summer, according to reports.

Real Madrid are very focused on signing Kylian Mbappe in the summer and have a gentleman’s agreement with the Frenchman to sit down and discuss terms in June.

However, reports from France have emerged that Zidane could take over at Parc De Princes in the summer and this move could convince Mbappe, who Paris Saint-Germain want to keep, to sign a new contract.

Zidane has been on a sabbatical from management since last summer and is widely expected to be back in the dugout this year for either PSG or the French national team as Didier Deschamps’ successor.

Zidane has been linked to the PSG job for quite some time but the Parisiens opted for Mauricio Pochettino instead. The Argentine, who has also been linked with the Manchester United job, is also expected to take over at Old Trafford in the summer which leaves the PSG job for Zidane.

This situation could prove dire for Madrid whose only focus is bringing Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu as both Zidane and Mbappe have expressed wishes to work with each other in the past.

Zidane affiliations a possible lifeline for Madrid

RMC Sport journalist Daniel Riolo, earlier in the week, broke the news of Zidane taking over at Parc De Princes in the summer.

Riolo was one of the first to break the news of Lionel Messi signing for PSG which makes the Zidane news all but confirmed. Real Madrid will have a lifeline to hold on to, however, following comments from Zidane’s former right hand man at the Bernabeu.

“We know that Zizou is a Marseille supporter, we know the rivalry between Marseille and Paris but we’ll have to see if professional concerns win out,” David Bettoni, Zidane’s assistant at Real Madrid, said during an interview with BeIN Sports.

“Time will tell. Zidane at PSG? To be honest I haven’t spoken to him about the possibility but there have been a lot of rumours in the papers.

“What is certain is that Zizou decided to take a full year sabbatical, and as always, I support his decision. He’s the coach, the one who assumes the responsibility, who has to deal with reporters, the media, the players.”

Neymar facing backlash for off-field lifestyle

Elsewhere, Neymar’s lifestyle has received backlash from PSG fans who are worried that his partying will affect his recovery and his on-field performances.

The Brazilian is less than a month away from his 30th birthday and looks to be in a celebratory mood with his trips and partying as he recovers from an injury he sustained back in November 2021.

Former PSG winger and France international Jerome Rothen has joined the list of those critiquing the forward’s lifestyle away from the pitch, while questioning the club for allowing Neymar act as he wishes.

“He has put on weight without stopping, he is growing older and he does not have a suitable way of living,” Rothen said on RMC Sport.

“How can we accept that from a player, who has not yet played 50 percent of the games since the start of the season and who has, compared to other years, a lower goal-to-assist ratio?

“When you grow older than 30, your body does not recover as well as it did at 25 and when you do foolish things you put everything at risk.

“I blame the sports director (Leonardo) again because he manages the sports management – he is the one who decides everything.

“He is the one who gives the go-ahead for Neymar to stay in Brazil until January 9 and receive treatment there, rather than with his club.”

Vinicius Jr agrees contract extension with Real Madrid

Vinicius Jr, 21, has agreed to sign an extension of his deal with Los Blancos at the end of the season.

Vinicius’ current deal with the Spanish giants expires in 2024 which gives the club enough time to discuss a contract renewal.

However, his great form has seen interest in him grow and Madrid have now made headway in talks to extend his deal, with Vinicius agreeing to put pen to paper on a new deal in the summer.

The young Brazil international has finally come into his own at the Santiago Bernabeu following his transfer to the club three-and-a-half seasons ago for €40 million. Madrid are looking to keep him for longer with the hopes of seeing him transform into a world beater and a potential Ballon d’Or candidate to further embellish their rich history.

Reports claim that Madrid wants Vinicius to focus on his football this season, while they prepare the groundwork for the contract renewal and signing talks in the summer.

New contract will come with pay rise for Vinicius

The former Flamengo youngster is Madrid’s second highest goalscorer this season with 12 goals in all competitions, and is third in the standings for the 2021/22 Pichichi race with 10 goals. He is also Los Blancos’ highest assist maker in all competitions with nine.

The winger is one of the lowest earners at the club with his €3.2 million per annum salary. Wages will be a key part of discussions between Vinicius Jr and Real Madrid in the summer as Madrid are aware that Vinicius can’t continue to stay in that wage range.

His transfer value has also seen a significant increase, according to the CIES Football Observatory who placed him as the world’s most valuable player worth €166.4 million.

However, it remains to be seen how much Los Blancos are willing to offer the Brazil international, as they’re also focused on signing Kylian Mbappe and are weighing up the option to sign Erling Haaland.

Both players will place a huge financial burden on the club and a significant increase for Vinicius’ salary could upset the club’s budget balance.

Madrid not dependent on Vinicius Jr, says Ancelotti

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has come out to debunk claims that the club is dependent on Vinicius Jr to create anything in the attack.

The winger is responsible for most of Madrid’s forays into the opponent box this season, leading the stats at the club for the most progressive runs into the opponent’s box.

The 33-time LaLiga champions face Valencia on Saturday and in the press conference ahead of the game, Ancelotti was asked if Vinicius, who is currently sidelined with a slight injury, is the player who the club is most dependent on.

The Italian said: “You can’t say there has been Vinícius dependence at Real Madrid. He did very well in the first half of the season and helped us win matches, but so did Benzema, Militão and everyone.

“To speak this way about one player seems too much, but he has been very important. His dribbling and his role in the counter-attacking has been important, as well as his goals. He is back now and we’re all happy to have him back.”

Antonio Conte identifies new Victor Moses for Tottenham

Antonio Conte is looking to replicate the success he had with Victor Moses at Chelsea with one of the Premier League’s sharpest wingers in Adama Traore.

The Italian has rekindled Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in the Wolverhampton Wanderers winger and the London club are plotting a fresh bid for the Spanish international.

Conte has a heavy reliance on wingbacks for his systems to function. Victor Moses is the archetype Conte wingback and the manager has tried to replicate his success with Moses since leaving Chelsea.

At Spurs, Conte has Emerson Royal as his main option for that position but the Brazil international is more of a fullback and his conversion into a Conte-type wingback is not working out for the Italian.

The Athletic are reporting that Conte and Tottenham’s technical director Fabio Paratici are keen to repeat the trick with 25-year-old Traore. 

Traore could have been a Spurs player this season but Wolves blocked the Spaniard’s loan move to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

Wolves facing apathy from Traore regarding new contract talks

The West Midlands club are currently in a bind trying to convince Traore to put pen to paper on a contract extension.

The 25-year-old Barcelona academy graduate has 18 months remaining on his current deal at Molineux and currently looks to only be interested in seeing off the rest of his contract.

Wolves are hoping that Traore sign in order to be able to make the most from his sale which looks likely in the coming months. As it stands, the club is at risk of losing him for less than his £20 million valuation which could deny them of much needed funds to bolster their squad.

Both sides could benefit from a potential deal as the fee is within Tottenham’s financial powers. The Athletic also claims that Tottenham is willing to include Matt Doherty, who they signed in 2020, in a player plus cash deal in order to tempt Wolves into letting Traore go.

Conte wants signings but warns Spurs fans that transfers are not a quick fix

Conte is determined to rebuild the squad and club chairman Daniel Levy is willing to back him.

However, the Italian has asked for patience from Spurs fans as he rebuilds the side, saying that the transfers will not solve the problems in the side immediately.

Speaking after the club’s Carabao Cup semi final first leg loss to Chelsea on Wednesday, Conte said: “Now we need to have patience and a lot of time and we will try to rebuild a good situation for Tottenham, now we are in the middle.

“We have to be prepared to struggle in every game, to try to get three points.

The Italian also compared his Tottenham squad to Chelsea’s, who beat them 2-0 on the night.

‘If you compare the two teams there is not a comparison. We are talking about a team ready to win – today we have seen the difference between the two teams,” Conte added.

“We are a team in the middle. There is a lot of work to do, in this moment, it is very difficult to understand which part you take to improve because there is a lot of situations to improve.

“We have to be humble, to understand the situation at the moment and continue to work to improve our players, then we will see.”

Dani Alves makes second Barcelona debut; rolls back the years with incredible performance

Dani Alves is finally ready to delight the Barcelona fan base once again after being successfully registered for Spanish and European competitions and making his second debut for the club.

The 38-year-old right back made his first appearance following his return to Barcelona after six years amassing trophies from all around the world in Barcelona’s Copa Del Rey tie away at Linares Deportivo.

Barcelona went into the tie as defending champions and were faced with an early exit after Linares scored through Hugo Diaz in the 19th minute.

The Catalans fought back in the second half to a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jutgla to progress into the round of 16.

Barca had several players out due to COVID-19 and injuries, but manager Xavi Hernandez’s makeshift side managed to leave Andalusia with their dignity intact, with Dani Alves playing a key role.

The 38-year-old Brazilian started the game as a winger to become the oldest player to feature for Barcelona in a competitive match, surpassing Jose Manuel Pinto by 54 days.

Dani Alves rolls back the years with incredible numbers

Fans were delighted by the return of Alves, who the club has failed to effectively replace since he left Camp Nou six years ago.

The former Sevilla man dropped a defensive and attacking masterclass to show the youngsters that he was not back in the side to ride along.

Dani Alves created seven chances for his teammates – three more than anyone else on the pitch for both clubs – including two big chances. Alves also completed the three dribbles he attempted while having a pass accuracy of 83%.

The veteran right-back also won three free-kicks and made three tackles while conceding only one foul.

Sergiño Dest is Barcelona’s only right back at the moment and is set for some competition with the veteran, who has also promised to help the young American become the best he can be while at the club.

Dest is currently the subject of transfer speculation as well and with Alves turning up the way he did, the American could be on his way out after just one full season at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona is a special gift, says Alves

Alves was happy to speak to the press after the game and waxed lyrical about how happy he was to be representing the Catalan giants again.

“I’m really happy. A film’s going through my mind. After everything that’s happened, to play another official game for Barcelona is such a special gift for me,” he said.

“I was enjoying myself playing with my teammates and competing alongside them. It’s a feeling that we represent. We need to instill this in the team. We know there are more surprises all the time in the Copa del Rey. We need to keep improving as a team.

“We need to have that spirit to compete, that spirit that we can do it. We need to be mentally strong. I think in the end coming through, the goals came for us, and that’s what we need.”

Alves could make his second LaLiga debut on Saturday with Dest still out due to injuries and COVID-19 complications.

Barcelona’s record signing set for club exit

Barcelona’s club record signing Philippe Coutinho is set for a Camp Nou exit after a tumultuous four years at the club.

Sky Sports reports that the Brazilian will be returning to the Premier 6this weekend, with six clubs including Aston Villa vying for his signature.

Coutinho’s former midfield partner at Liverpool, Steven Gerrard is now in the Villans’ dugout and has reportedly placed a call to the midfielder to convince him to join the club.

Aston Villa have also been reported to have approached Barcelona who signed the midfielder for a club record £146 million, to inquire about what it’ll take to sign him.

However, despite the efforts made to sign him so far, Villa’s management are likely not going to go into any bidding war with the other clubs who are interested in the midfielder.

Coutinho wants an ambitious sporting project in a team where he can play regularly as he eyes a spot in Brazil’s 2022 World Cup squad.

The 29-year-old, who is also attracting interest from teams abroad, will decide his next club before this weekend.

Clubs interested in Coutinho

Barcelona have chosen to count their losses on the midfielder who was once seen as Andres Iniesta’s replacement at Camp Nou.

He was, at the time, a perfect fit for the Catalan club’s famed tiki-taka triangular football style but coaches never quite knew how best to incorporate him into a new-look Barcelona that was starting to take shape.

After several changes in the dugout and many experimental styles to find what can work again at the club, he is now deemed surplus to requirements.

Coutinho’s agent Kia Joorabchian is now working in collaboration with Barcelona, who want to offload the player in order to make space for new signing Ferran Torres, to find a new home for the Brazil international.

The Brazilian’s wage demands are a significant part of whatever deal they can find and it remains to be seen if Aston Villa can handle it despite Steven Gerrard personally demanding for the player.

Everton and Tottenham are also interested, with the latter having reportedly readied a €20 million deal for the player as Antonio Conte seeks to rebuild the Spurs squad.

No club is in pole position to sign Coutinho, according to reporter

Sky Sports News‘ Kaveh Solhekol, who reported the latest on Coutinho, also noted that no club is being ruled out by Barcelona at this point.

“There are lots of clubs interested in signing Coutinho, including six Premier League clubs, as well as clubs abroad,” Solhekol said.

“But he wants to come back to England and to return to the Premier League.

“I’m told no club is in pole position at the moment to sign him.

“I don’t think he knows where he’s going, but he’s got lots of options and his representatives are speaking to different clubs.

“We’ve seen his move to Barcelona hasn’t worked out, it’s been very stop-start. He wants to go somewhere where he can settle and play regularly.”

Aaron Ramsey exit from Juventus all but confirmed after latest Allegri comments

Aaron Ramsey and Juventus look to be officially done following the latest comments by Massimiliano Allegri when asked about the player.

The Welshman has failed to make any sort of impact while at the Allianz Stadium since joining on a free from Arsenal in 2019, and has been looking for a way out of the club for a while.

His future is now confirmed to be away from the Serie A giants after manager Massimiliano Allegri described him as an “outgoing player”.

The 31-year old has played only five games for Juventus this season, mostly due to injuries. Allegri’s comments, however, show that he is no longer in Juventus’ long term ambitions and imply that it would have been a similar outcome for the player if he had been fit enough to start.

Following the Serie A winter break, Ramsey was given permission to travel to England to do specific work. He returned this week, and Allegri delivered a clear verdict on the player, who is wanted by clubs in the Premier League.

Allegri said: “Ramsey, he returned today after we had given him a few days off to work, to train separately, in England. In any case, he’s an outgoing player. “

Clubs interested in Aaron Ramsey

Ramsey joined Juventus in 2019 after ten seasons on a free transfer for wages in the range of £325,000 – £400,000 a week.

He has not been able to deliver adequate returns, however, and the club is now ready to cut their losses.

Ramsey, speaking at an interview during the September international break, claimed that the Turin club don’t know how to get the best of him. The statement has been proven to be true as the midfielder has been one of Wales’ standout players in the two years he’s been at Juventus.

With 18 months left on his Juventus deal, reports have linked Ramsey with Newcastle, a return to Arsenal, and Burnley. Further reports claim that he turned down Burnley’s approach already.

Sky Italy‘s Gianluca Di Marzio, who has been reporting on the issue, said of the Burnley approach: “Ramsey may come back to the Premier League. He had an official proposal from Burnley to sign for them, but he said no.

“He wants to play for a more ambitious team, Newcastle have asked for him too before Christmas. We’ll see whether anyone can sign him in January.”

Morata to stay at Juve despite Barcelona interest

Meanwhile, Allegri went ahead to squash every Morata link to Barcelona in the same vein as which he confirmed Ramsey’s departure.

The striker’s two season loan back at the Old Lady will come to an end this season and it is understood that he doesn’t want a return to Atlético de Madrid, leading him to consider Barcelona’s offer.

The Spain striker, Allegri and Juventus officials have now held talks as the Barcelona noise becomes louder, but the outcome of the discussions are not yet known.

However, Allegri said to reporters, “Morata will not leave, he is a performance footballer. The problem with him is that he is given the wrong label.

“He is very important: I talked to him and I told him not to move from here. Case closed.”

Juventus have yet to decide whether they will take up the £29 million option to sign Morata permanently and have decided to allow his performances in the second half of the season influence that decision.

This also means that the rumoured links to Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauro Icardi could be off, as the former Inter Milan striker was only considered an option in the case of Morata’s departure.