Buffon cool on link with Chelsea

Buffon wants to remain loyal to Juventus

Italy's World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will not leave Juventus for Chelsea in January, according to his agent.

The 28-year-old had been linked with Chelsea after the serious head injury to first-choice Petr Cech.

But Buffon's representative Silvano Martina said: "We will obviously be honoured if a club like Chelsea was to make an offer for Buffon.

"But I can tell you that he will not leave Turin in January."

We obviously hope that Chelsea don't need Buffon because it would mean Cech has made a quick recovery. Buffon's agent Sivano Martina

Buffon elected to stay at Juventus, despite their relegation to Serie B after the Italian match-fixing scandal.

Martina said: "Gianluigi's very happy at Juventus. He had lots of offers in Italy and elsewhere this summer and turned them down.

"But he made a decision to stay in Turin because he wanted to repay the club for helping him become famous and being one of the best in the world."

And while he admitted a bid from Chelsea would be tempting, Martina insisted he hoped there would be no interest - because it would mean Cech had made a complete recovery.

Martina said: "Officially there has been no contact so far.

"We are very saddened with what has happened to goalkeeper Cech.

"It's normal that a great club like Chelsea would show an interest, or would be interested, in one of the top goalkeepers in the world."

He said: "If Chelsea were to make an offer it would be very difficult for any club to reject it. "We will obviously have to see what happens at the end of the season. We obviously hope that Chelsea don't need Buffon because it would mean Cech has made a quick recovery.

"I have been with Buffon for the last 12 years and having got to know him well he is one of the best in Italy and arguably the world."

Buffon moved to Juventus from Parma in 2001 for a world record fee for a goalkeeper of £35.5m.