Cristiano Ronaldo has told Massimiliano Allegri that he is "staying at Juventus", with a summer of unwelcome transfer speculation being brought to a close in Turin.
With a Portuguese superstar entering the final 12 months of his contract with Serie A heavyweights, questions have been asked of how long he will be sticking around.
Returns to Real Madrid or Manchester United have been mooted, along with long-running links to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, but a five-time Ballon d'Or winner will be going nowhere before the August 31 recruitment deadline.
What has been said?
Quizzed on Ronaldo's plans, with the 36-year-old sitting out a friendly clash with Juve's U23 team in midweek, Allegri has told reporters: "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.
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"He has always trained well, I just read the gossip in the papers. He never told us he wanted to leave.
"Ronaldo told me that he is staying at Juventus."
Will there be more movement at Juve?
Getty ImagesRonaldo appears set to remain part of Allegri's plans for 2021-22, ahead of a season opener against Udinese on Sunday, while Manuel Locatelli has finally been lured away from Sassuolo.
There has been talk of further comings and goings before another window shuts, with Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic said to be a target while Aaron Ramsey is linked with a move elsewhere, but Allegri would be happy to make do.
He added: "Market? I told the club that I am very happy with the players available, we must try to create value by improving the young players.
"I am happy with Locatelli's arrival. He has grown a lot, he has become an important player.
"He is not in optimal condition because he has worked very little, he will need a few days, but after the break for the national team he will be in good condition. But if there is a need for a quarter of an hour, he is already able to do it in Udine."