We may not be about to witness the retirement of one of football’s finest ever players with reports from Italy stating that Gianluigi Buffon could prolong his playing career by a further 12 months but sacrifices will have to be made.
 

According to Dagospia, President Andrea Agnelli wants to offer the 40-year-old an extra year but wants him to take a pay cut of nearly half his current salary which is worth €4.5M-a-season. This proposal has not gone down well with the 2006 World Cup winner who believes he should remain on the same earning level that he currently has.
 

Juventus coach Massimo Allegri is understood however, to have made it clear that should Buffon stay with the first-team beyond the current campaign, he would not be first-choice next season and would have to play second fiddle to Polish international Wojciech Szczesny.
 

Now there will be a time for reflection by the player as to whether he wants to spend vast amounts of time next year, sat on the substitutes bench earning half of what he currently does.