Juventus Boss Max Allegri Reveals Desire to Keep Gonzalo Higuaín Amid Rumours of Summer Departure
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has claimed that he's eager for his striker Gonzalo Higuaín to remain with the club beyond the summer transfer window, but has admitted that he won't know the star's future until after the World Cup.
As reported by Football Italia, Juventus are set for a major overhaul of their squad in the summer, as they look to pursue an eighth successive Serie A title. However, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea, Allegri has claimed he's keen to hold onto the Argentine, stating: "I hope Pipita (Gonzalo Higuaín) stays, but we have to wait for the World Cup.
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"I don’t know if an offer will come in, then the strength of Juventus is to satisfy those who want to leave. I’d want a centre-forward if he does leave, and then (Mario) Mandźukić won’t play on the wing next year, he’ll return to centre-forward.”
Allegri was also questioned on comparisons between Paulo Dybala and his fellow countryman Lionel Messi, stating; “They’re two different players, Dybala is aerobic and Messi is explosive. Paulo scores running on to the ball, he follows the action and he finishes it. He can’t play like Messi, if he has no space he struggles. For the new Messi you need calm.
"Maybe he hated me for always repeating that to him, but I always told him that when he got back to being Dybala he’d be very good. His future? He’s not like Higuain. I spoke to him before he went on holiday and his objective is to have more great seasons with us and then go to a great team to improve.
"If you’re playing for Juventus, you have only three chances to improve: Real, Barça or Bayern.”
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Meanwhile, Juventus are thought to be closing in on their first signing of the summer, after reportedly beating the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal to the signature of CSKA Moscow's highly rated midfielder Aleksandr Golovin. The 22-year-old will be part of Russia's World Cup campaign, and is widely tipped to be a highly accomplished youngster with bags of potential.
