Giorgio Chiellini will have knee surgery tomorrow and is expected to be out for at least six months, so Juventus are considering last-minute replacements.

The defender only turned 35 a couple of weeks ago and had scored Juve’s opening goal of the Serie A season against Parma.

He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session on Friday and is expected to have surgery in Innsbruck with Professor Christian Fink on Tuesday.

Juventus are reportedly considering a shock deal to bring defender Medhi Benatia back from Qatari side Al-Duhail.

According to La Stampa, Juve have weighed up a possible return for Benatia as they seek a defender with his qualities.

The former Roma stopper spent two-and-a-half years in Turin, winning two Scudetti and reaching a Champions League Final.

However, he left for Qatar in January after a feud with then-Coach Max Allegri.

Medhi Benatia has revealed that he could return to Roma one day but questioned Juventus boss Max Allegri. “Maybe he had problems with me…”

Benatia left Juve for Qatari side Al-Duhail in January, having fallen down the pecking order after Leonardo Bonucci’s return, and he suggested Allegri’s man-management left much to be desired.

“Allegri is a very good Coach if you talk about his career,” the defender told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Ajax midfielder Hakim Ziyech has revealed that Medhi Benatia thinks the Dutch club can beat Juventus on Wednesday.

Ajax moved top of the Eredivisie at the weekend after PSV dropped points, but Ziyech made it clear the Champions League was his side’s priority.

“Right now we’re only focused on tomorrow’s game,” he said at a Press conference.

“We’ll see how it goes against Excelsior on Sunday, but right now we must concentrate on Juve.

“I hope Ronaldo plays. We want to challenge the best.”

Medhi Benatia admits he was no longer happy at Juventus and that ‘I don’t know if Max Allegri is the right Coach’ to win them the Champions League.

Benatia moved to Qatari side Al-Duhail in January after he lost his place in Juve’s defence to Leonardo Bonucci, who returned from Milan last summer.

“When I went to Dubai on holiday in December, I decided I didn’t want to stay at Juve,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

Former Juventus defender Medhi Benatia claims he moved to Qatar because of his children. “I want them to grow up in an Islamic environment.”

Milan, Arsenal, Manchester United and Olympique Marseille were all linked with Benatia before he chose to leave Juve for Al-Duhail last month, and the Morocco captain explained faith meant more to him than prestige.

“I think everyone should respect my choice because it was the right one for my family and I,” the 31-year-old said at his official unveiling.

Juventus have revised their Champions League squad so Martin Caceres and Leonardo Spinazzola are eligible but Juan Cuadrado is not.

Caceres comes in to replace Medhi Benatia, who left Juve for Qatari side Al-Duhail earlier in the week.

Spinazzola is also drafted in with the injured Cuadrado making way, in another show of faith from boss Max Allegri.

The Colombian, for his part, recently had knee surgery and does not look like coming back any time soon.

With Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli injured, Juventus have asked Parma for Bruno Alves.

Multiple sources including Sky Sport Italia, Sportitalia and more all claim there had already been an approach for the 37-year-old centre-back over the last few days.

However, news that Bonucci will be out for approximately a month with a sprained ankle and this evening Chiellini limping off with another recurrence of his calf issues during the Coppa Italia quarter-final with Atalanta prompted a rethink.

Medhi Benatia admits he thought he would retire at Juventus, but the return of Leonardo Bonucci forced him to ‘change my plans’.

Benatia was a regular in Juve’s defence last season but fell out of favour after Bonucci came back from Milan, and the Moroccan suggested that was the cue for him to join Al-Duhail.