Allegri to take over from Pirlo as Juventus manager

Juventus have the return of ex-manager Massimiliano Allegri on track. The experienced Italian was rumoured to be on his way to Real Madrid, who have recently announced the departure of manager Zinedine Zidane.

However, it would appear that Allegri has opted for Juve instead, after finding out that the Spanish side intended to wait on Zidane's decision to stay. 'Sky Sports' reports that Juventus have decided to relieve themselve of current manager Andrea Pirlo's services after just his first season managing in the top flight. It will be made official in the next few hours.

Not winning Serie A was fatal for Pirlo, as he was successful in securing the Italian Supercup and Coppa Italia. However, the poor performance in the domestic league as well as an early exit from the Champions League proved vital in securing his dismissal.

Thus, the ex-captain of the Italian national team will leave Turin on the lookout for a slighly less ambitious project, where he can continue to grow as a coach. For his part, Allegri will return just two years after his departure, which came five years in to his first spell at the club where he enjoyed domination in Serie A and brought his side to two Champions League finals.

According to reports from Italy, Allegri will come back in style - with a salary of around 8.5 million euros a season, signing a three-to-four year contract. An important moment in Juventus' renovation, as Fabio Paratici will not stay on as sporting director, and his right-hand man this season Federico Cherubini could also he released from his post before the start of the new campaign.