Sportspeak has exclusively learnt that reports in the Italian media linking Giovanni Trappatoni with a return to the grand Old Lady of Italian Football, Juventus, may be somewhat wide of the mark, Sportspeak’s top soccer hack Pitchside Pitcher contacted the FAI to enquire about the validity of reports linking the veteran coach with a return to Turin in a caretaker capacity til the end of the season. The reports had suggested that Trap would finish the season at the Stadio dell Alpi with Rafa Benitez taking the job fulltime in the summer.

FAI Spokesman Francis Whearty told Sportspeak that the story was just media speculation. “Giovanni came out earlier in the week and said this story was complete rubbish. All we have is what he said at the weekend, we wouldn’t be commenting at all on reports coming out of Juventus today”.

The stories had suggested that Trappatoni would double job with the FAI & Fiat paying his wages until this summer’s break. Ciro Ferrara is set for the euro version of a p45 after Juve lost a fifth game in six at the weekend as they lost to AS Roma. Rafa Benitez’s agent has denied that he has had any contact from Juve. Both Liverpool and the slumbering Italian giants are in sixth place in their leagues -much lower than expected or accepted by their fans & boards. Sportspeak understands that Giovanni Trappatoni would consider the rumoured offer provided that the FAI sanctioned a deal with the Turin club.