Massimiliano Allegri is unsure whether Paulo Dybala will remain at Juventus beyond the end of this season after he scored in a 2-0 win over Salernitana.
Dybala's fifth-minute strike beat Luigi Sepe at his near post to set the Bianconeri on their way to a routine win, extending their unbeaten run to 16 Serie A games and keeping them within seven points of leaders Milan.
He has now scored eight league goals for Juventus this term, more than any other player (Alvaro Morata also has eight), but the 28-year-old has recently been linked with a move away from Turin.
The Argentine's contract with Juventus is set to expire at the end of the season, and he was reported to have clashed with Allegri over the Bianconeri's training schedule earlier this week.
Speaking after Dybala starred against Serie A's bottom club, the Bianconeri boss was unsure whether he would remain at the club.
"I don't know if he will be a Juventus player or not," Allegri told DAZN. "That's why there is the club, with which I am absolutely in line.
"It is not just Paulo who is about to expire his contract, there are also [Juan] Cuadrado, [Federico] Bernardeschi, [Mattia] De Sciglio.
"On my part and on the part of the team, there is only the will to do well now. I give evaluations of the players, but then there are also contracts and many other things to see."
Despite being unsure as to where the forward's future lay, Allegri was adamant that the pair have maintained a positive relationship.
"The relationship with Dybala and all the other players is good," the Bianconeri coach added.
"There are disagreements, exchanges of opinions, and I am quite direct in things. The players have to perform on the pitch, and they have to know that they have my respect, regardless.
"Paulo arrived as a child from Palermo, then he grew up and became a great player."
Dybala was joined on the scoresheet by Dusan Vlahovic after 28 minutes.
The Serbia international's 21st Serie A goal of the campaign put him level with Adem Ljajic as the second-highest goalscorer from his nation in Italian top-flight history; his tally of 48 putting him just three behind Dejan Stankovic (51).
Allegri was keen to emphasise the importance of Vlahovic at the spearhead of his attack, but said the league's leading marksman still had room to improve.
"He played a good game," Allegri said of the 22-year-old. "He's an important point of reference, then he comes back and covers.
"Like everyone, I talk to him often, he needs to improve a lot on the cleanliness of the game. He knows this, and we are working on it."
Juventus have taken 35 points from their last 15 league games to give themselves an outside shot of the Serie A title, having taken just 24 points from their first 15 this season.
Motta laments wasteful Juventus attack after stalemate
Thiago Motta was not happy with Juventus' attacking efforts in Saturday's 0-0 Serie A draw versus Empoli, who defended valiantly to keep their goal intact.
Juve struggled against the well-organised hosts, managing just three shots on target out of their 15 efforts, creating just 0.89 expected goals (xG) in the contest.
It follows another stalemate with Roma just before the international break, in which Juventus managed to test the goalkeeper just once.
"We barely got to the point of making the cross we wanted to make," Motta told a press conference.
"It's one thing to do it from behind and another to get to a dangerous area to do it. It's not easy with a team that defends like Empoli, we had difficulties.
"[But] not only Dusan [Vlahovic] has to fill the penalty area ... We definitely have to improve on the sides and get to feed our attacker and those who come from behind."
Juventus' misfiring attack was not the only worry for the head coach, who made four changes to his midfield in the 67th minute.
Motta took off Manuel Locatelli, Nicolas Gonzalez, Douglas Luiz and Kenan Yildiz, introducing Khephren Thuram, Timothy Weah and Nicolo Fagioli, as well as striker Samuel Mbangula.
"They are great players and already in training with little time [they have had], they are able to understand what I want and how they should behave," Motta added.
"The four came in to give freshness. We didn't change anything on the tactical side, but we preferred to give continuity. Surely these players together on the pitch will grow, especially as a team."
Juve return to Champions League action after a season's absence on Tuesday, hosting PSV in the league phase of the revamped 2024-25 edition of the competition.
"Every game is different, the first two we faced [the way we wanted]. Today was a different game [to what it] will be on Tuesday, against a team that plays good soccer and attacks," Motta said.
"We have to be good at controlling the game, without allowing them to feel comfortable, because when they have the ball they always attack with many players."
Real Sociedad 0-2 Real Madrid: Vinicius, Mbappe penalties close gap on Barca
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe both scored penalties as Real Madrid saw off Real Sociedad 2-0 at the Reale Arena.
Carlo Ancelotti's side moved to within a point of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who visit fifth-place Girona on Sunday.
Already without the likes of Jude Bellingham, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Madrid suffered another injury blow in the 24th minute when Brahim Diaz was forced off with a muscular issue.
After a goalless first half, the visitors broke through 13 minutes after the restart with Vinicius slotting home from 12 yards after Sergio Gomez handled Arda Guler's shot.
Vinicus was then felled for Madrid's second penalty, which was awarded following a VAR review, with Mbappe making no mistake in sealing all three points.
Data Debrief: Madrid extend unbeaten streak
Extending their unbeaten LaLiga streak to 37 matches, Madrid have now won four successive away league games against Basque opposition for the first time since a run of four such victories between 2011 and 2013.
By contrast, Sociedad have now suffered four straight home defeats in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2007.
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea: Late Nkunku strike snatches victory for Blues
Christopher Nkunku proved Chelsea's hero as his late strike secured a narrow 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League.
The forward climbed off the bench to strike the winner five minutes from time at the Vitality Stadium, where Robert Sanchez kept out Evanilson's first-half penalty.
Bournemouth looked the more likely to take all three points in the contest, with Marcus Tavernier's long-range thunderbolt rattling the crossbar early on.
Sanchez then came to rescue on 38 minutes by denying Evanilson from 12 yards, albeit after he had conceded the spot-kick for a foul on the Brazilian.
The woodwork denied the Cherries again after the break, with Ryan Christie seeing his precise low effort hit the outside of Sanchez's right post.
However, it was Chelsea who snatched the points with five minutes remaining. Receiving the ball from Jadon Sancho, Nkunku cleverly skipped away from a couple of challenges before slotting past Mark Travers in the Bournemouth net.
Data Debrief: More happy travels for super sub Nkunku
Nkunku's piece of individual brilliance settled the contest. All four of his Premier League goals for Chelsea have come away from home as a substitute.
The Blues held out at the other end to claim their first away league clean sheet in 18 attempts, while winning four straight matches on the road for the first time since 2022.
Meanwhile, history was made at the Vitality Stadium with the referee showing a total of 14 yellow cards; the highest amount issued in a single Premier League game.
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