Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli insists the Serie A giants will not be pursuing Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso in the transfer market this summer.

It is believed Alonso was on the verge of signing for the Italians last summer, but the Reds’ failure to capture Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry, who has since joined Man City, meant the deal fell through.

This week has seen reports have suggest Juventus have joined Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish international’s signature.

But Gigli has rubbished the speculation saying, ‘œThere are a lot of names for midfield but not that of Xabi Alonso.

‘œI learnt from the press about our interest for the Spanish player. He’s a great player but I think that to say that I have read his name in the papers says it all.’