Leandro Paredes reveals he was forbidden to move to another Italian club while still at Roma, but “at that time though my first choice was Juventus.”

The Zenit St Petersburg midfielder made the switch from Italy to Russia last summer, but has hinted that he would be open to a move to Juventus already.

“I have a lot of friends in Turin,” Paredes told RMC Sport.

“So that would make it easier, but there are many champions in Madrid and that would be very motivating for a young player like me.

“Right now I need to concentrate on the end of the season with Zenit, after that we’ll see.

“To know that two great clubs like Juve and Real are interested in me is important, but I’m calm, I try not to be distracted.

“Choosing between Juventus and Real Madrid is not easy, it would be a difficult choice for me. I’d need to have both offers on the table and then choose.

“When they spoke of Juventus the first time, the Roma fans made their voices heard and prevented the transfer, they told me it was forbidden to move to another Italian team.

“At that time though my first choice was Juventus.”