Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Juventus this summer despite ongoing speculation over the striker’s future at the club.

The 36-year-old has one year left on his current deal with the Turin club and questions had been asked over what his next move would be.

However, Allegri said that Ronaldo has ‘never expressed his desire to leave Juventus’ and that he continues to train well at the club.

Fans were concerned about Ronaldo’s future at Juventus when they saw he was absent from their final pre-season friendly against the U23 team.

However, Allegri has reassured supporters that the striker was being rested following a ‘heavy’ week of training and that he would return to action soon.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of their clash with Udinese on Sunday, he said: ‘Ronaldo didn’t play on Thursday because we were coming off a heavy training workload and I gave him half a day off.

‘Ronaldo is an added bonus for us, because he guarantees a large number of goals. Obviously, we also have to work as a team to get the best out of an individual.’

When asked whether Ronaldo – who has been linked with a return to Real Madrid or Manchester United – had given any insight as to where he would play this season, Allegri confirmed he would stay at Juventus.

The Juventus manager said: ‘He has always trained well, I just read the gossip in the papers. He never told us he wanted to leave,’ was the response.

‘Ronaldo told me that he is staying at Juventus.’

Ronaldo’s current contract in Turin is due to expire in June 2022 and there were question raised as to whether he would sign an extension after failing a secure a ninth-successive Scudetto with Juve last season.

Ronaldo had also been criticised for his performance during Juve’s Champions League exit to Porto.

The decisive goal in their 2-2 draw on the night came from a free kick that went through his legs as he turned in the wall.

Following the incident which saw Porto win 4-3 on aggregate, the club’s managing director Fabio Paratici claimed that extending Ronaldo’s contract beyond 2022 was not on Juventus’ agenda.

However, he later backtracked on his statement by saying the Portuguese forward is set to stay.

As a result, United had been linked with bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, while PSG were also touted as a likely destination if he were to leave Juve this summer.

Nevertheless, Allegri has dismissed claims that the striker could leave this summer – but terms over a contract extension still remain