Daniele Rugani reveals Chelsea interest and why he remained with Juventus

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani has revealed that there was interest from Chelsea in signing him during the 2018 summer transfer window. The Italy international had been touted for a reunion with Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge last year but the same did not happen after he decided to fight for his future with the Bianconeri.

Rugani has since made only 20 appearances for the Serie A holders but he is nonetheless pleased with the decision to stay put, given he has finally got the chance to be working again with Sarri, he told Corriere dello Sport: “In retrospect I say that I am happy to have stayed last summer. Chelsea tried to sign me, but with Juventus we agreed that it was not right to separate our paths. The executives have trusted me and, even if at the beginning of the season there was a big crowd in defence, I found my space.”

Rugani has been used in a rotational policy at the Bianconeri over the past few years and the same could remain the case next term, considering the club have recently made the big-money purchase of Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax. On paper, the Italian finds himself as the fourth-choice centre-back behind De Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, but does not seem to have influenced him to pursue a fresh challenge.

Meanwhile, Juventus have pretty much covered most of the bases with the spending spree this summer and it remains to be seen whether they can finally make the push for the Champions League title. With Cristiano Ronaldo upfront, they are always bound to score goals but the team have sought to get the best out of the Portuguese with creative midfielders in the form of Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot joining the team on Bosman moves.