Buffon committed to Juve

Gianluigi Buffon has pledged his long-term future to Juventus after being reassured by the club’s management the club will remain competitive.

Italy’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper had been linked with a move away this summer with the Turin giants set to end the season empty-handed for a second consecutive year.

But Buffon said: “There is no possibility that at the end of the season I will leave Juve. I’ve had meetings with (club administrator) Jean-Claude Blanc and now I am calmer.”

Juve were knocked out early in the Coppa Italia and eliminated by Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League.

“I feared for Juve and their future,” Buffon said. “I wanted some answers and I got them. My fear was not to see a future at Juve and not win anything in the next three or four years.

“This would be too much of a sacrifice for me. But my fears went away after the meetings I had.”

Buffon was one of the Bianconeri stars that opted to remain at the club despite Juve being demoted to the second division following the match-fixing scandal in the summer of 2006.

He helped the club gain promotion to the top flight and finish third in Serie A last term.

Juve are again on course to finish third in Serie A this campaign. They take on Atalanta this weekend holding a three-point advantage over fourth-placed Fiorentina with three games left.