Max Allegri claims he had signed as Real Madrid manager last summer before joining Juventus in last-minute U-turn
JUVENTUS manager Massimiliano Allegri claims he had already signed with Real Madrid before returning to Turin.
Allegri took some time off after leaving Juve in 2019 and came back two years later when he put pen to paper on a new deal with the Serie A giants.
However, the Italian head coach claims he had first agreed to join Real last spring.
But the Bianconeri then got in touch with the 54-year-old and convinced him to come back.
The former AC Milan boss then contacted Los Blancos’ president Florentino Perez and informed him of his decision.
Allegri told GQ: “I had already signed as new Real Madrid manager last summer. It was done and sealed.
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“Then Juventus contacted me… so I called Florentino Perez in the morning and I told him: ‘I’m sorry, I’m not coming. I’m joining Juventus’”.
Zinedine Zidane left Real at the end of last season after Atletico Madrid won LaLiga and Perez was looking for a top name to replace him.
The Madrid giants opted for former manager Carlo Ancelotti, who left Everton, after Allegri, who was among their top targets, returned to Juventus.
Real are top of the table under Ancelotti’s guidance and have made it to the Champions League quarter-finals where they will face Chelsea.
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Juventus, on the other hand, are fourth in the league and were eliminated from the Champions League by Villarreal.
Juve are seven points away from Milan and the top of the table.