Ranocchia: "I turned down Juventus out of loyalty to Inter; Bastoni hasn’t killed anyone"

Andrea Ranocchia reveals some behind-the-scenes transfer news. The former Inter defender said in an interview with *La Gazzetta dello Sport*: “Antonio Conte wanted to reunite the central defensive partnership of myself and Bonucci at Juventus, but I turned down the Bianconeri because I’d formed a special bond with Inter. I stayed in Milan and went through a tough patch, but I’ve practically forgotten the whole Icardi affair. The issue of the captain’s armband never weighed too heavily on me; back then there was so much confusion that you couldn’t focus on such matters. We were going through a period of total upheaval: we changed manager, then president, then ownership, and it wasn’t easy to perform well in such a context.”

"My revival in the Nerazzurri colours came via a loan spell at Hull City in the Premier League, which gave me a break from Italian football at a time when it was truly exasperating. I returned feeling rejuvenated, but during pre-season training a fan insulted me from the stands. Spalletti stood up for me, and from there a new chapter began; I regained my confidence and then won the Scudetto with Conte. I’d waited over a decade for it; winning it was incredible and filled me with pride.”

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