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Cristiano Ronaldo no longer plans to play for Juventus, Allegri says

Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus he “no longer has any intention” to play for the club, manager Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed.

Ronaldo, 36, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City, has been left out of the squad to face Empoli on Saturday.

Juventus are yet to receive an official bid for the Portugal forward.

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“[Ronaldo] gave his contribution, he made himself available, now he leaves and life goes on,” said Allegri.

On Wednesday, Juventus told Ronaldo they are willing to sell him during the transfer window – but only if their conditions are met by interested clubs.

Manchester City are one of the teams to have made contact with Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes, with some reports suggesting personal terms have already been agreed.

Allegri continued: “Yesterday, Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus. For this reason he will not be called up for tomorrow’s game.

“Things change, it’s a law of life. Juventus remains, which is the most important thing.

“He is to be thanked for what he has done, also as an example amongst the youngsters. But as I said, we must go on.”

According to reports Ronaldo informed his Juventus colleagues he was set to leave this month after two years at the 36-time Serie A champions.

He then drove to the training ground on Friday morning but left before taking part in the session.

A week ago, Allegri said Ronaldo had “never expressed a desire to leave” Juventus, and that the player had told him he was staying at the Allianz Stadium.

Ronaldo himself called media speculation about his future “a disrespect for me as a man and as a player” in a lengthy Instagram post a few days earlier.

The five-time Ballon d’or winner started on the bench on Sunday as Juventus drew their league opener against Udinese.

Ronaldo signed for Juve from Spanish giants Real Madrid in a deal worth 112m euros (£99.2m) in 2018.

In May, he became the fastest player to score 100 goals for the club – a feat he achieved in 131 games. (BBC)

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