Chiellini: 'Crazy to leave Juve'

Giorgio Chiellini feels it “would be crazy to leave Juventus now,” even for Real Madrid, as the club is really going places.

The Bianconeri have won two consecutive Scudetti and reached the Champions League quarter-finals, but have reinforced with Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente.

“Every summer I hear transfer stories around me or Claudio Marchisio, but a lot of it is fantasy football,” the defender told Tuttosport.

“Beppe Marotta said clearly that this is not a selling club. Besides, it would be crazy to leave Juventus now that the project is taking off, even if Real Madrid came calling.

“Just think about it, who would’ve imagined Antonio Conte winning the Scudetto in his first season? Can you remember the US pre-season tour? We really struggled in friendlies and things weren’t going well, yet we arrived ahead of schedule. Now we’ve added a few extra players, learned to know each other and are more solid.”

Chiellini was asked about Real Madrid’s reported €120m offer for Tottenham’s Gareth Bale.

“It’s a completely different reality and we cannot think of competing with Real Madrid or Barcelona. Let me also remind you that the club that spends the most money doesn’t always win. Just look at Borussia Dortmund.

“We too can look to the future with great confidence and enthusiasm. We’ve reinforced and signed players who can help us in our growth process.”

Juventus were beaten 3-1 by LA Galaxy last night, confirming their poor pre-season form with not a single victory against a big club.

“Let’s just say that at Juve we run a lot without the ball in training, which isn’t so common abroad. In these two years Conte has increased the fitness work, so now we suffer less over long distances. For those who arrive, not being accustomed to certain rhythms, they do struggle.”