Cristiano Ronaldo was dropped to the bench for Juventus' Serie A opener against Udinese amid speculation surrounding his future at the club.
Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri dismissed reports on Saturday claiming Ronaldo could leave Turin this summer, claiming the Portugal international had told him he was going to stay.
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According to Sky Italy, Ronaldo requested to not start the match. ESPN has reached out to Ronaldo's representatives for comment.
Earlier this week, Ronaldo lashed out over the transfer rumours regarding his future, accusing people of being "disrespectful" yet stopping short of committing his future to Juventus.
Spanish late-night TV show "El Chiringuito" claimed on Monday that a sensational return to Real Madrid was on the cards, but Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti distanced himself from the story on social media.
Ancelotti worked with Ronaldo for two seasons during his first stint as Real Madrid manager.
In that time, they won the club's long-awaited 10th European Cup -- beating rivals Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in the 2014 Champions League final, with Ronaldo scoring a late penalty -- before Ancelotti was sacked in 2015.
After reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan started their campaign with an impressive win, Juve are hoping for positive results in Allegri's first league game back at the club since replacing Andrea Pirlo in the summer.
Source: espn.co.uk