Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri blasts 'untrue' reports linking him with move to Arsenal

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has distanced himself from the manager's job at Arsenal but says his future with the Serie A giants is not in his hands. The Italian is believed to be in the frame to succeed Arsene Wenger, should he leave the Gunners in the summer, but he sought to diffuse speculation surrounding his future and was seemingly irritated by the line of questioning.

Allegri's contract with Juventus expires in the summer of 2018 and was keen to stress that if he did have designs of leaving for Arsenal, the Juve hierarchy would be the first to know.

"I repeat what I have already said before - it's not true," Allegri said, relayed by Goal. "The second thing, even if there was something in it, the first to know and learn my wish to leave would be Juventus.

"I'm contracted until 2018. I'm not the one to decide my future - Juventus will. It is they who decide because it's the way I work and have worked previously. When time passes, as we did last year, we will evaluate what to do. And if these rumours were true, Juventus would be the first to know and I haven't talked to Juventus yet."

The calls for Wenger to leave Arsenal at the end of the season increased on Saturday. The Gunners were soundly beaten 3-1 by Liverpool at Anfield and delivered a frankly woeful performance, with reports of a bust-up between Alexis Sanchez and the Arsenal boss emanating after the match.

His side's season is flirting with despair but Wenger must find a way to pick Arsenal up off the canvas ahead of their Champions League last 16 second leg tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

The Gunners are all but out of the competition already having been beaten 5-1 by the Bundesliga champions in the first leg, but another disheartening performance will only sour the already bitter atmosphere that currently surrounds the Emirates.