Juventus Deny $36 Million Deal for Keane
TURIN, Italy, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Italian giants Juventus denied a report on Friday they had agreed a 65 billion lire ($35.88 million) deal for Manchester United captain Roy Keane.
The report, in Turin newspaper Tuttosport, said Keane would join Juve on a five year contract when his current agreement with the English and European champions expires next June.
The paper said the news was confirmed by Rafael Benitez, former coach of Spain's Valladolid, who it said talked to United about Keane on behalf of Real Madrid.
``Look, in Manchester I was resigned to losing (Keane),'' Tuttosport quoted Benitez as telling Spanish television. ``United told me Juventus had already made an irresistable offer of a five year contract for 600 million pesetas ($3.85 million) a season.''
Juventus said there was no truth in the report. ``Maybe he's a player we like, maybe he's a player we'd like to have in Turin
but it's certainly nothing like Tuttosport says it is,'' a club spokesman said.
Keane has delayed making a decision on his future until the end of this season. Juventus are one of several clubs interested in the 28-year-old Irish international, who will miss Ireland's next two Euro 2000 qualifiers on Saturday in Croatia and next
Wednesday in Malta as he was injured in Ireland's 2-1 qualifying win over Yugoslavia in Dublin on Wednesday.
