Ranieri Rejected Barzagli
Juventus Coach Claudio Ranieri rejected the chance to sign Palermo defender Andrea Barzagli, reports Tuttosport today.
Barzagli has long been linked with the Bianconeri and he was expected to move to Turin for the start of the 2006/07 season.
However the Calciopoli crisis last summer scuppered any chances of a deal and the ex-Chievo defender remained in Sicily. According to the Italian newspaper Tuttosport, Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini recently offered his star defender to Ranieri but he was turned down.
Juventus are in desperate need of reinforcements in the centre of defence after Jorge Andrade broke his kneecap and will be ruled out for most of the season.
They have been linked with a host of stoppers, including Branislav Ivanovic, Diego Lugano, Luisao, and even Luigi Di Biagio.
The decision of Ranieri to snub Barzagli is puzzling, seeing as he has developed into one of the peninsula’s best defenders over the past 18 months.
The World Cup winner is widely regarded as the long-term centre back of the Azzurri, once the ageing Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi hang up their boots.
The 26-year-old has filled in superbly for the injured Materazzi recently and put in polished performances in the Euro 2008 qualifiers against France, Ukraine and Georgia.
goal.com