Andrea Pirlo "happy" to continue with Cristiano Ronaldo next season

Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo has said that he would be happy to work with star forward Cristiano Ronaldo even beyond the current season.

The Portuguese superstar's Juventus future is in doubt. Especially after the Bianconceri failed to make the Champions League semifinals for a third straight year since Ronaldo's arrival in Turin.

Juventus were knocked out in the last 16 of the Champions League for a second consecutive season after losing to Porto on away goals.

Speaking before Sunday's Serie A match against Benevento, Pirlo said that neither he nor the club had thought about Cristiano Ronaldo leaving at the end of the season.

"For now we have not thought about it, Cristiano Ronaldo still has a year left on his contract with us and we are happy about that.

"We're extremely focused on this end of the season. He has already scored a lot of goals and is beyond discussion," Pirlo said.

🗣️ Pirlo no tuvo dudas hablando del futuro de Ronaldo: "Estoy feliz de que pueda seguir jugando con nosotros. Ha marcado un montón de goles"https://t.co/UI6YlIavzX

— Diario AS (@diarioas) March 21, 2021

Last week, Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane sparked speculation about Ronaldo's Juventus future by admitting there was a possibility of the Portuguese returning to the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo say Juventus have a lot to play for this season

Andrea Pirlo has insisted that he's happy to keep Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus

However, both Pirlo and Ronaldo have insisted that there is still a lot to play for this season. The Portuguese, in an Instagram post, said that Juventus fans could have something to celebrate at the end of the season.

Juventus are currently third in Serie A, 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan. Prior to the game against Benevento, Pirlo said his team needed to put pressure on Inter Milan.

"It's an important match because it comes just before the international break, it's a fundamental game for our season," he said.

The former Italian midfielder also said that he was looking forward to going up against his former team-mate Filippo Inzaghi.

"We are facing a team that is not going through a good period at the moment, but knows how to express themselves on the pitch and I know the coach, Filippo Inzaghi, whom I always follow with affection. He is doing a good job and I have great respect for him," the Juventus head coach said.

"We have to win game after game, bring home the three points and put pressure on Inter," Pirlo concluded.