Pirlo: 'I want Juve extension'

By Football Italia staff

Andrea Pirlo revealed he “wants to stay at Juventus,” will soon secure a contract extension and is eager to forget the Champions League.

The midfielder’s current deal expires in June, prompting fears he could leave on a free transfer for Real Madrid, where he’d reunite with Carlo Ancelotti.

“If I chose to leave Milan for Juve it was because I hoped to begin a winning era in a new club,” he told Radio 105.

“My intentions are clear, as I want to stay at Juventus. Over the next few days we’ll meet with the club and there is optimism.

“I still want to play. I don’t know when I will retire, but as long as I have the desire to train and fight, I will certainly continue.

“Antonio Conte is a Coach who gives his players a great deal, but expects a lot in return. He brought back a winning spirit to Juve and there is certainly a lot of his doing in our results.

“The turning point of our campaign was definitely the black-out against Fiorentina. Going from 2-0 down to losing 4-2 made us think about what we were doing and from then on we won 10 consecutive games. We realised that winning is not the norm. To win you need desire and sacrifice.

“Unfortunately in the Champions League we got the first two games wrong and they proved decisive, because they compromised our qualification. Now we have turned over a new leaf and focused on Serie A. It’s better not to think about it now.”

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