Juventus chairman invites Massimiliano Allegri to watch Torino draw

Former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri watched the side's 2-2 draw with Torino on Saturday as a guest at the home of chairman Andrea Agnelli, who is now not ruling out bringing the former boss back to the club.

Under rookie manager Andrea Pirlo, Juventus have fallen to fourth in the Serie A standings. Leaders Inter are 12 points clear of La Vecchia Signora, so Pirlo's focus is now on surviving the battle for Champions League qualification, which could take a vicious turn if Juve fail to win their upcoming games against contenders Napoli and Atalanta.

Talk of a potential return for Allegri, who led Juve to five straight titles between 2014 and 2019, has long been rife, but things have stepped up now as Il Giornale (via Goal) state that Agnelli welcomed Allegri into his home to watch Saturday's draw.

Agnelli is understood to have come to terms with the fact that Pirlo may not be ready for the Juventus job, and while he is determined not to 'betray his friendship' with the legendary midfielder, he fears he may be forced to make a decision he does not want to.

The pair watched on as a toothless Juventus side needed a 79th-minute header from Cristiano Ronaldo to spare their blushes and dropped points against a relegation candidate for the second game in a row.

According to Tuttosport, Wednesday's meeting with Napoli could well decide things for Pirlo. I Partenopei can replace Juve in the top four with a victory, and Agnelli is growing concerned about his side's chances of reaching Europe's top competition.

There have been informal discussions at board level about a potential return for Allegri, who remains out of work after leaving Juventus in 2019, and a defeat to Napoli could see those plans put into action.

Speaking after the Torino draw, defender Giorgio Chellini begrudgingly admitted defeat in the title race and admitted they cannot afford to take their foot off the gas in search of a spot in the top four.

"We've been in this position since the start of the season, we've always been dancing around this area of the table," Chiellini told DAZN (via Goal). "We are aware that with better consistency we could have fought for the title and the Champions League.

"We're in a group of many teams, but at least on Wednesday we will draw level with our number of games played. We still have to fight until the end."

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