Massimiliano Allegri says he turned down Real Madrid out of loyalty to Juventus

By Joe Shread

Image: Massimiliano Allegri has won four successive Serie A titles with Juventus

Massimiliano Allegri has revealed he turned down an offer to manage Real Madrid because he had already committed his future to Juventus.

The Italian said the Real president Florentino Perez approached him to replace Zinedine Zidane, who resigned last month after winning three consecutive Champions League titles.

"I said 'no' to Real Madrid. I did it on the phone to Florentino Perez because I had given my word to [Juventus] president (Andrea) Agnelli", explained Allegri.

"I thanked Florentino for the offer, but said I couldn't accept it out of the respect I owed to Juventus."

Image: Julen Lopetegui was dismissed by Spain after news broke of his agreement to take over at Real Madrid following the World Cup

Real have since appointed Julen Lopetegui, announcing on Tuesday he would move to the Bernabeu after leading Spain through their World Cup campaign.

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However, Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales was furious at the way the move was conducted, and sacked Lopetegui on Wednesday - just two days before their first World Cup match.

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