Allegri denies rift with Agnelli after contract talks are postponed

Massimiliano Allegri has put off contract talks until the end of the season but insists he has not fallen out with Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli.

A report in Libero claimed Allegri is at risk of being sacked in the coming days after an argument with Agnelli this week, with Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte lined up as possible replacements. It is claimed the Juve head coach met with Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta over the prospect of taking over at San Siro for next season, which incensed Agnelli to the point he has considered firing Allegri before the Champions League game against Atletico Madrid next Tuesday.

However, Allegri denied any such disagreement and says they agreed together at a dinner on Wednesday that talks over a possible new deal will be picked up again once 2018-19 is over.

"I met with the president yesterday for dinner," he told a news conference ahead of Friday's Serie A game at home to Udinese. "We are two intelligent people who have built something important in these five years together. I am in total harmony with the club. Winning is an extraordinary thing but to continue winning is even more difficult. Juventus have an important solid base, which will allow us to have chances in the Champions League every year. This is essential for an important club like Juventus.

There is total harmony with the president for the future. I never said I wanted to leave Juventus, just as the president never said he wanted to change coach. There is no quarrel. We talked, we ate well, and we decided that, given how things are going, we'll talk about the renewal of the contract after the season, as we have always done."

March 7, 2019

Juve have won four Serie A and Coppa Italia titles since Allegri took over in 2014, as well as reaching two Champions League finals. But failure to secure Europe's top prize has increased pressure on his position, while a 2-0 first-leg loss to Atletico in this season's last 16 leaves their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals as slim.

As well as Inter, Allegri has been linked with a possible move to Real Madrid to replace Santiago Solari, who is expected to be fired following back-to-back defeats versus Barcelona in LaLiga and the Copa del Rey and a humbling Champions League exit at the hands of Ajax.