Juventus to sack Andrea Pirlo; replacement found - Reports

Juventus are reportedly set to sack Andrea Pirlo today, as per Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. The Turin side have agreed a deal with Massimiliano Allegri and the Italian will be returning to Allianz Stadium.

The Serie A side did manage to edge into the Champions League next season, but the management was not happy with the former midfielder at the helm.

Massimiliano Allegri is set to join Juventus! The agreement is now ‘imminent’ and Andrea Pirlo will be sacked in the next hours. ⚪️⚫️ @SkySportAllegri has just decided to accept becaude Real Madrid were still taking time after Zinedine Zidane decided to leave the club. ⏳

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 27, 2021

Max Allegri was set to take over at Real Madrid, but the Spanish side were late in getting the deal done. Los Blancos were waiting for Zinedine Zidane's official communication, and that allowed Juventus to swoop in and take the Italian manager back to Turin.

Andrea Pirlo was confident of staying at Juventus

Although Andrea Pirlo did not enjoy a good season at Juventus, he was confident of staying at the club. He replaced Maurizio Sarri last summer and had a project in mind.

Massimiliano Allegri back to Juventus, the verbal agreement has been reached today morning - he’s gonna sign the contract in the next few hours. Juventus are also preparing the official statement. ⚪️⚫️ #JuveIt’s gonna be official in the next 24 hours. ⏳ @DiMarzio

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 27, 2021

However, he managed to win just the Coppa Italia this season and finished 4th in the Serie A table. That left the management unhappy, prompting them to sack him.

Earlier this month, when Pirlo was asked if he would be at the club beyond this season, he wasn't certain. The Italian had said:

"I don't know, for me it was important to finish well the work started this summer, winning the Italian Cup and leading the team in the Champions League. We leave the words to those who have to decide in the future, I have always been 100% committed and this is the result."

But after winning the Coppa Italia and securing a Champions League spot, the change in tone was clear, and it seemed like the Italian was bound to stay.

Speaking to the media after the final game of the season, Andrea Pirlo seemed sure of seeing himself at the helm of Juventus for another season. He said:

"I 100 percent see myself on the bench of Juventus next season, but it is not me who decides. Now we will enjoy the result we have achieved and in the next few days I will talk with the club. We struggled, we were afraid, but during this end to the season we understood the direction we need to go in and we finished off with a Coppa Italia and Champions League qualification. Everything has happened, it was a complicated year but I needed it to grow and improve."

Zinedine Zidane was touted to be the replacement for Andrea Pirlo at Juventus but that does not seem to be the case anymore.