I thought it was impossible- Chiellini on Ronaldo's Juventus move

The Italian defender was speaking on the sidelines of the MLS All-Star game.

Juventus and Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini thought it was "impossible" to sign Cristiano Ronaldo when he first heard the rumours of the Portuguese joining the Turin-based club. Ronaldo's future was in the limelight just after he secured a three-peat of UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid in the last week of May.

Following that and just after the end of June, the rumours of a move gathered more pace and he was finally a Juventus player by the middle of July. Chiellini spoke to the American media just after Ronaldo's first training session with his new team on Monday.

"[The first time I heard about Ronaldo], I said to my friends, 'Nah, it's impossible,'" Chiellini said ahead of Wednesday's MLS All-Star game. "After one day, [I thought] maybe it is possible.

"With our manager, with our director ... it's a reality. Juventus is growing ... year after year and we need a champion like Cristiano.

"We are excited, we are ready to work with him; all the parts of the club, the players, the marketing manager, the director, are ready to improve with Cristiano and we hope he can help us to achieve our target."

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Along with Ronaldo, Emre Can, Joao Cancelo and Mattia Perin have already signed with the club and they have been linked with Leonardo Bonucci as well.

The 31-year-old Italian defender left the Old Lady for arch-rivals AC Milan after a fallout with Paulo Dybala and manager Massimiliano Allegri. The pair of Bonucci and Chiellini have spent seven seasons together in Turin.

"Leonardo, for me, is a friend," Chiellini said. "I pass my holiday with him and my family."

"I know about his quality, but I don't know. It's not easy and I want to have respect to my teammates ... I'm not a president or director,. So, we will see what happens at the end of the Serie A (transfer window). We will see if Leonardo is here," said Chillieni while talking to ESPN America.