Juventus trio heading for exit over 'preferential treatment' towards star man Ronaldo - report

A trio of first team players are reportedly on the verge of leaving Juventus after becoming disillusioned with the club's preferential treatment of superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo, per reports from Spanish media.

The Juventus hierarchy had designs on European glory when they captured five-time Champions League winner Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for an eye-watering sum last summer. But despite another successful season on the home front, the club's European trophy cabinet remains barren despite the addition of recently-announced Serie A 'MVP' a little more than a year ago.

The Bianconeri were eliminated from the Champions League by this year's surprise package, Ajax, forcing them to delay their plans of European domination for another season at least.

However, success in next season's competition may prove a tall order as Juventus look to be a weaker unit next season after reports emerged from Spain which suggest that a trio of first-team players are set to leave the club after being disillusioned with the club's preferential treatment of the five time Ballon d'Or-winning Ronaldo.

Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Alex Sandro who have combined to appear in the famous black and white jersey nearly 500 times have reportedly become upset at a status quo inside the club which appears to cater to the Portuguese player's every whim, reports from Spanish sports website Don Balon and Fox Sports suggest.

Argentine player Dybala, a crucial component to Juventus prior to Ronaldo's arrival, has become something of a bit-part player since Ronaldo's arrival. He found the net just 10 times in all competitions, with many of his appearances restricted to late cameos and stands in stark contrast to his contribution of 26 strikes the season prior. 

Dybala has been linked with becoming the centrepiece of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's rebuild at Manchester United, while Sandro and Mandzukic have both been linked with Chelsea in recent times - though the London club's current transfer ban could scupper any moves to the English capital. 

"Yes, there is a good chance he’ll leave Juventus. Absolutely. He needs a change," Dybala's brother Gustavo said in a recent interview on Argentinian radio show Futbolemico, the Mirror reported.

"I can’t say where he’ll go, but there is a strong chance Paulo will leave. Of course he’s not happy there. Paulo’s not the only one, as many players are uncomfortable at Juve.

"He won’t be the one who will leave the Bianconeri this summer. Cristiano is a great person and he never had problems with him. They have a good rapport. There were a few misunderstandings tactically, as let’s not forget they have similar positions."

One of the principal reasons cited by Ronaldo on revealing his decision to leave Real Madrid last season was his perceived lack of support from club owner Florentino Perez - something which appears to have been corrected in his current relationship with the Juventus ownership.