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Manchester City have not ruled out signing Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester City have supposedly not ruled out the prospect of signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus in the coming days.

Despite Juve chiefs’ insistence that Ronaldo is going nowhere this summer, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is still being heavily linked with an exit after entering the final 12 months of his Turin deal.

With Harry Kane confirming that he is set to stay at Tottenham Hotspur for the 2021-22 season, City have been tipped to turn their attention to Ronaldo, who is supposedly prepared to push for a move to the Etihad.

While Pep Guardiola is thought to retain faith in current number nine Gabriel Jesus, ESPN claims that the Premier League champions have not ruled out the idea of welcoming Ronaldo to the blue side of Manchester.

However, the report adds that the 36-year-old’s mammoth wages could scupper a move, while Juve are thought to be demanding a fee of €30m (£25.7m) for his sale, whereas City do not want to dip into their war chest.

Ronaldo started on the bench during Juventus’ Serie A opener with Udinese last weekend, although both Pavel Nedved and Massimiliano Allegri played down the decision as a mutually agreed tactical one

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WEEKEND ROUND-UP: Ronaldo and Bale catch the eye but neither Juventus nor Real Madrid manage a win

Soccer Football - Italy - Serie A - Udinese v Juventus - Dacia Arena, Udine, Italy - August 22, 2021 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal that is later disallowed after a VAR review REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

Former team-mates Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines on Sunday in contrasting fashion, but their respective clubs of Real Madrid and Juventus were held to disappointing draws.

The duo combined to help the Bernabeu outfit win four Champions League titles during a glittering era of success for the LaLiga side and once again were the talk of Europe this weekend.

Welsh international Bale scored his first Madrid goal in two years, having enjoyed a loan spell at old side Tottenham last season, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men had to settle for a point at Levante.

Roger Marti and Jose Campana struck after the break to turn the game on its head and when Rober Pier made it 3-2 with 11 minutes left, the hosts looked on course for a memorable triumph but substitute Vinicius Junior added to his earlier equaliser with another to clinch a 3-3 draw.

Over in Italy, Ronaldo made headlines before a ball had been kicked at Udinese after he was only named among the substitutes.

Sky in Italy reported the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had asked not to start with the Portuguese ace linked with a move away from Turin this summer due to only one year being left on his contract.

Early goals from Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado put the visitors on their way to three points without Ronaldo and while he was introduced on the hour mark, Udinese were able to mount an excellent second-half comeback.

Roberto Pereyra, formerly of Watford, reduced the deficit from the penalty spot before another ex-Hornets man in Gerard Deulofeu earned the hosts a share of the spoils with the equaliser with seven minutes left.

Elsewhere in Serie A, Tammy Abraham registered two assists as Jose Mourinho got off to a winning start as Roma manager with a 3-1 triumph over Fiorentina

Napoli also got off the mark on the opening weekend but survived playing the majority of their game against newly-promoted Venezia with 10 men after Victor Osimhen had seen red in the 23rd-minute. Goals by Lorenzo Insigne and Eljif Elmas earned all three points.

Bologna edged out new boys Salernitana in a five-goal thriller where Marko Arnautovic was on target for the victors.

Prior to Madrid dropping points in LaLiga, reigning champions Atletico had started the defence of their title with a trademark 1-0 win over Elche.

Angel Correa grabbed the only goal of the contest while Mikel Oyarzabel helped Real Sociedad see off Rayo Vallecano by the same score.

There was drama aplenty in Ligue 1 too where Nice’s match with Marseille was abandoned after the home fans stormed onto the pitch midway through the second half

Kasper Dolberg had put the hosts ahead in the 49th minute but a fiery encounter where seven yellow cards were handed out spilled over late on Allianz Riviera.

After Marseille’s Dimitri Payet responded to a bottle being thrown at him by chucking it back into the crowd, fans of Nice entered the pitch and both sets of players were taken off after a coming together.

While Nice returned to the field of play to resume the game, the visitors had made the decision to leave with the referee forced to abandon the fixture.

Moussa Dembele struck a brace for Lyon but they were held to a 3-3 draw by Clermont and Metz, Bordeaux and Strasbourg could only draw at home to Reims, Angers and Troyes respectively while Montpellier saw off Lorient 3-1.

Bayern Munich claimed a first win of the new Bundesliga season thanks to Serge Gnabry’s brace against Cologne.

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Julian Nagelsmann’s side before Gnabry doubled their advantage, but the visitors hit back through Anthony Modeste and Mark Uth.

It was left to ex-Arsenal winger Gnabry to secure a maiden league win for the new manager in charge when he drilled home with 19 minutes left in Munich.

Hoffenheim and Union Berlin also played out an entertaining match on Sunday with the spoils shared after a 2-2 draw.

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Carlo Ancelotti rules out Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid return

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that he has “never considered” bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Bernabeu.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s next career move remains the subject of much speculation, with his existing deal at Juventus due to expire in 2022 amid links with Los Blancos and Manchester United.

Ronaldo recently took to social media to lash out at the ‘disrespectful’ coverage of his future, and Ancelotti has also weighed in on the saga with a post on Twitter.

The 62-year-old wrote on Tuesday: “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect. I have never considered signing him. We look forward.#HalaMadrid.”

Manchester City are also rumoured to have been offered the chance to sign the Portuguese attacker, but Pep Guardiola’s side have retained their focus on a move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Ronaldo found the back of the net five times at Euro 2020 and enters the 2021-22 campaign with a Capocannoniere to defend following his 29-goal haul in Serie A last term.

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BUFFON RETURNS TO PARMA AFTER 20 YEARS AWAY

Gianluigi Buffon has returned to Parma on a free transfer 20 years after leaving the club to join Juventus, it was announced on Thursday.

The 43-year-old goalkeeper left Juve at the end of the last campaign, where he had been for two decades, either side of a 12-month spell at Paris Saint-Germain in 2018-19.

Parma’s U.S. owner Kyle Krause had teased Buffon’s return on Wednesday with a tweet which read: “it’s a bird it’s a plane it’s” — in reference to the ex-Italy international’s Superman t-shirt he wore during the club’s 1999 Coppa Italia celebrations during his first spell.

arma tweeted the announcement with a video of a man in a black hooded jumper, walking on to the club’s home pitch to dig up an old treasure chest with a Superman t-shirt and Parma jersey, before Buffon revealed himself and said: “I’m back.”

Parma were declared bankrupt and were re-founded in Serie D in 2015. They returned to Serie A in 2018, but they are back in Serie B after dismal 2020-21 campaign saw them finish bottom.

Buffon made his professional debut for Parma at the age of 17 in 1995 and kept a clean sheet against AC Milan. He won the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Italian Supercoppa at the club in 1999 before he left to join Juventus for a then-world record fee for a goalkeeper. The £32.1 million fee in 2001 was a record for 16 years until Manchester City paid Benfica £34.7m for Ederson.

At Juve, he won 10 Serie A titles in 19 seasons, as well as the Serie B title in 2006-07 when the club played in the second tier after they were relegated as a result of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. He also won the Coppa Italia five times and the Supercoppa on six occasions. Buffon reached the Champions League final three times with Juve, but was on the losing side in each.

In 2018, he moved to PSG where he won the Ligue 1 title and Trophee des Champions before returning to Juve the following season.

Buffon is the most capped Italian man with 176 international appearances and was part of the 2006 World Cup-winning side, a season which saw him finish second in the running for the Ballon d’Or.

He made his Azzurri debut in 1997 and was part of squads for nine major tournaments from 1998 to 2016 and was an unused sub at the 1998 World Cup. Buffon was also captain of the Italy side which lost to Spain in the Euro 2012 final.

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BREAKING: JUVENTUS SACK ANDREA PIRLO AHEAD ALLEGRI APPOINTMENT

Juventus have sacked their head coach Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo, 42, replaced Maurizio Sarri last summer but could only steer Juventus to fourth place in Serie A, as their nine-year hold on the Italian title finally came to an end.

The Athletic reported on Thursday that Massimiliano Allegri has agreed to rejoin Juventus to replace Pirlo.

In a statement Juventus said: “A few months ago, Andrea Pirlo, an icon of world football, began his new adventure, his first as a coach.

“To do this, first of all, it takes courage, as well as awareness of one’s own means, especially in a period marked by thousands of difficulties, with the world forced by the pandemic to reinvent its own rules day after day.

“Pirlo has just begun the first steps of what will no doubt become a brilliant career as a coach. An adventure of transformation, seeking, and often managing, to bring his ideas and his experience as a champion on the pitch from the “other side” of the fence.

“And since in football, what counts are the victories, let’s remember them: in the space of a few short months Pirlo’s Juve has raised two trophies: The Italian Supercup and the Coppa Italia. And he, as coach, brought home brilliant victories on the most prestigious of fields, from San Siro to Camp Nou.”

Pirlo’s time at Juventus has not been an unmitigated disaster. Juventus won the Italian Super Cup earlier in the campaign and this month picked up the Coppa Italia with a 2-1 victory over Atalanta.

But Juventus struggled in Serie A, surrendering their league title to Inter Milan and only managing to finish fourth, securing Champions League football on the final day of the season.

Juventus were also underwhelming in European competition. They managed to beat Barcelona 3-0 in Spain to top Champions League Group G, only to lose on away goals to Porto in the Round of 16.

Various media reports already confirmed that Allegri has agreed to return to Juventus to replace Pirlo.

Allegri, 56, has been out of work since leaving Juventus in 2019. During his time at the club he won five consecutive Serie A titles, as well as leading the team to two Champions League finals.

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FEDERICO CHIESA SCORES WINNER AS JUVENTUS DEFEAT ATALANTA TO WIN COPPA ITALIA

Federico Chiesa fired a second-half winner as Juventus beat Atalanta 2-1 to win the Coppa Italia for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.

Italy forward Chiesa, on loan from Fiorentina, fired home into the bottom corner in the 73rd minute after Ruslan Malinovskyi had cancelled out Dejan Kulusevski’s first-half opener for Juve.

Andrea Pirlo’s side, who have conceded the Serie A title for the first time in 10 years this season, lifted the trophy for a record-extending 14th time.

Atalanta, who finished the game with 10 men after Rafael Toloi was shown a straight red card in the 88th minute for dissent, lost in the final for the second time in three years.

They were beaten 2-0 by Lazio in the 2019 final and last won the cup in 1963.

In France, Paris St Germain continued their domination in the Coupe de France as they beat Monaco 2-0 to lift the trophy for the sixth time in seven years.

Argentina striker Mauro Icardi took advantage of a defensive slip to guide the ball home following Kylian Mbappe’s pass in the 19th minute.

PSG looked the more likely to extend their lead and Mbappe put the icing on the cake with a sublime chipped finish nine minutes from time to seal the club’s 14th Coupe de France win.

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SERIE A: AC MILAN KNOCK JUVE OUT OF TOP FOUR

AC Milan pushed Juventus out of the Serie A top four with a 3-0 win in Turin on Sunday, increasing their hopes of Champions League football for the first time since 2014.

Brahim Diaz put Milan ahead just before the break with Anton RebicF and Fikayo Tomori adding two more in the second half after Franck Kessie had missed a penalty.

Milan move up to third, equal on 72 points with second-placed Atalanta, with Napoli a further two points behind in fourth and the final Champions League berth.

Juventus are now fifth, one point behind the top four with three games left to play, including next weekend’s clash with newly-crowned champions Inter Milan.

“We had a great game, a victory over a direct rival at this moment in the championship is very important,” said AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli whose side lost 3-1 to Juve in the San Siro in January.

“We still have to fight. But I have a very young team. That is maturing as this evening proved.”

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SERIA A: LUKAKU PUTS INTER MILAN EIGHT POINTS CLEAR WITH WIN OVER BOLOGNA, JUVENTUS, AC MILAN HELD

Romelu Lukaku fired Inter Milan eight points clear at the top of Serie A on Saturday with the only goal in a 1-0 win at Bologna as title rivals Juventus and AC Milan were both held.

“Winning is a big step forward for us,” said coach Antonio Conte after second-placed Milan’s challenge faltered in a 1-1 draw with 10-man Sampdoria while champions Juventus were held 2-2 at city rivals Torino.

Conte’s side stretched their winning run to nine league games as they chase a first ‘Scudetto’ since 2010, having finished runners-up last season.

“Last year we nearly got there. The closer we get to the finish line, every victory becomes more important,” added the former Juventus and Chelsea manager.

Lukaku got his head to an Alessandro Bastoni cross after half an hour and bundled the ball over the line for his 20th league goal this season after Bologna’s young goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia had pushed out the initial strike.

Lautaro Martinez missed a chance for a second five minutes after the break when he rattled the post.

Inter next play Sassuolo on Wednesday, a match postponed from before the international break because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the Milan club.

In Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo struck in the 79th minute but couldn’t stop Juve dropping further points in their bid for a 10th consecutive league title.

Andrea Pirlo’s side slip to fourth, 12 points behind Inter, and four points back from Milan, with a game in hand.

“We complicate these games all by ourselves,” lamented Pirlo with his team’s Champions League qualification also in the balance.

“We must push on, keep giving our all and try to secure our minimum target, which is qualifying for the Champions League,” said captain Giorgio Chiellini.

“We have another important match on Wednesday and it’s one we need to win,” he added of their midweek postponed fixture against European rivals Napoli.

Federico Chiesa had given Juventus the advantage in the 13th minute, but an Antonio Sanabria brace looked set to give the relegation-threatened hosts their first derby win in six years.

The Paraguayan nodded in the leveller in the 27th minute after Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny had pushed out a long-range Rolando Mandragora effort.

Sanabria struck a second time just after the break when he intercepted a misplaced Dejan Kulusevksi back pass.

Ronaldo missed two chances before the Serie A top scorer finally got his 24th league goal this campaign following a VAR review when he nodded home Chiellini’s cross from close range.

The Paraguayan nodded in the leveller in the 27th minute after Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny had pushed out a long-range Rolando Mandragora effort.

Sanabria struck a second time just after the break when he intercepted a misplaced Dejan Kulusevksi back pass.

Ronaldo missed two chances before the Serie A top scorer finally got his 24th league goal this campaign following a VAR review when he nodded home Chiellini’s cross from close range.

Milan’s miserable recent form at the San Siro continued in their draw with Sampdoria.

A terrible Theo Hernandez pass across midfield in the 57th minute allowed Sampdoria veteran Fabio Quagliarella to pounce and send a long-range lob over Gianluigi Donnarumma to claim his 10th goal of the season.

Claudio Ranieri’s mid-table side went a man down just after their goal with Adrien Silva sent off after picking up a second yellow card.

Substitute Jens Petter Hauge curled in the leveller three minutes from the end, with Franck Kessie denied a late winner after hitting the woodwork.

“There are no excuses,” said coach Stefano Pioli, whose team’s push for a first league title in a decade has been hampered by just two wins from eight home games in the league in 2021.

“Inter have the Scudetto (league title) in their hands. It’s theirs to lose.”

Atalanta are two points behind Milan in third after a 3-2 win over against Udinese which came thanks to a first-half Luis Muriel brace and Duvan Zapata adding a third after the hour mark in Bergamo.

Napoli claimed their fourth consecutive win, but not without a battle from bottom side Crotone who lost a dramatic contest 4-3.

Three goals in 33 minutes from Lorenzo Insigne, Victor Osimhen and Dries Mertens looked to have sealed victory early for Gennaro Gattuso’s side.

However Crotone fought back to 3-3 largely thanks to a double from Nigerian Simy the 25th and 48th minutes.

But Giovanni Di Lorenzo made sure the home side did take the win with his 72nd-minute strike.

Roma stretched their winless run to a three matches with a 2-2 stalemate at Sassuolo.

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RONALDO’S FIRST HALF HATRICK HELP JUVE EDGE CAGLIARI 3-1

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick inside 32 minutes as Juventus bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit by beating Cagliari 3-1 away in Serie A on Sunday.

The 36-year-old striker found the net with a header, a right-footed penalty and a left-foot shot and celebrated by pointing to his ear in an apparent response to recent criticism.

The Italian champions and their Portuguese talisman were under pressure to perform after suffering a Champions League last-16 elimination against Porto on Tuesday.

They enjoyed a comfortable win despite Giovanni Simeone’s second-half strike for the hosts and are now third with 55 points, 10 behind leaders Inter Milan with a game in hand.

Ronaldo declined to give a post-match interview when asked at full-time and Juve captain Giorgio Chiellini faced the cameras instead.

“Our strength has always been to respond on the pitch and we did that today, Cristiano above all,” he told reporters.

“We played like Juve and as a team, with our strengths and weaknesses. But with this main ingredient we can finish the season well, we’ll see where we are by mid-May.”

It was Cagliari coach Leonardo Semplici’s first defeat since taking over in February and left his side in 17th place on 22 points, two clear of the relegation zone.

Ronaldo came in for widespread criticism and was linked by the media with a possible close-season departure from Juve after his disappointing display against Porto, who knocked the Turin club out of Europe on away goals following a 4-4 aggregate draw.

But the Portuguese forward was fired up for the trip to the Sardegna Arena and quickly made his mark by powering in a header from a corner after 10 minutes, a goal that means he has now scored in all 18 stadiums he has visited in Serie A.

Ronaldo was booked for catching goalkeeper Alessio Cragno in the face with a high boot as they both went for a cross, and the striker was then brought down in the box by the keeper and smashed home the resulting penalty in the 25th minute.

He soon had his third goal as he performed a trademark step-over before hammering a shot past Cragno to mark the second fastest hat-trick of his career, after the treble he scored in 20 minutes for Real Madrid against Espanyol in September 2015.

Cagliari pulled a goal back in the second half when Simeone fired in a low shot and Ronaldo had a big chance to score his fourth with the last kick of the game when one-on-one with Cragno but the keeper denied him with an excellent block.

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UCL: PORTO STUN JUVENTUS TO REACH LAST EIGHT

Ten-man Porto upset Juventus to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw despite losing 3-2 to the Italian side on Tuesday.

Sergio Oliveira’s extra-time free-kick for Porto’s second goal proved decisive for the visitors.

Porto dominated the first half and took the lead in the 19th minute with Oliveira’s penalty taking them into the break in front as they looked comfortable at the Juventus Stadium.

But with the first attack of the second half Juve’s Federico Chiesa, who scored their goal in the 2-1 last-16, first-leg defeat in Portugal, arrowed a strike into the top corner to give his side hope four minutes after the re-start.

The game turned further in Juve’s favour as Mehdi Taremi needlessly got sent off for picking up a second yellow card in the 54th minute for kicking the ball away, with Chiesa levelling the scoreline on aggregate with his head in the 63rd.

The hosts had chances to win the tie but the game went to extra time and the drama was far from over as Porto won a free-kick which Oliveira drilled home to spark wild scenes of celebration amongst the players and coaching staff.

Adrien Rabiot’s header three minutes from time for Juve ensured a grandstand finish in an enthralling encounter, but Porto held on for a famous victory.