Former Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has advised the club to start a summer rebuild by offloading Cristiano Ronaldo and sporting director Fabio Paratici.

The Italian side was booted from the Champions League last-16 stage for a second straight season following Wednesday’s enthralling away-goal defeat to 10-man FC Porto. The elimination means Juventus’ 2018-19 quarterfinal exit against Ajax is their best performance in the competition since Ronaldo’s €100-million transfer from Real Madrid.

“Was CR7 the wrong signing? Absolutely yes,” Cobolli Gigli, who was Juventus president from 2006 until 2009, told Radio Punto Nuovo, as translated by ESPN’s Adriana Garcia.

“I said that on the very first day, (while) showing that I have respect for a great champion. But he is too expensive … it’s up to Juventus whether to sell Ronaldo or not, but he costs €1 million per goal. Juve president (Andrea) Agnelli must be self-critical, but he doesn’t have great collaborators,” he added.

Juventus’ struggles this season aren’t confined to continental action. The Bianconeri have won nine straight Scudettos but currently occupy third place in Serie A with 13 matches remaining, 10 points behind table-topping Inter Milan.

“Juventus has a need to rebuild. I would free Ronaldo but also Paratici,” Cobolli Gigli said.

However, head coach Andrea Pirlo still has a clear sight of silverware in his first campaign at the helm. Juventus take on Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final on May 19 after seeing off Genoa, SPAL, and Inter in the tournament’s later rounds.

Juve next face relegation-threatened Cagliari on Sunday.

Captain Sergio Ramos’ future at Real Madrid is still very much in the air, as the Spanish defender said there’s “no news” to report from contract negotiations.

“I’d like to be able to say something, but there’s nothing new,” Ramos said, according to Alex Kirkland of ESPN FC.

“I’ve only been thinking about coming back from my injury and ending the season as well as possible,” he added. “On the renewal, there’s no news.”

The 34-year-old, who has only three months remaining on his deal, said he’ll provide updates on future developments.

“I promise that when there is, I’ll be the first to say so,” he said. “But right now I’m calm and I’m only thinking about playing again.”

It’s the first time Ramos – who made the comments during the premiere of his new documentary series – has addressed the situation since September.

Manager Zinedine Zidane, however, has been quizzed about his captain’s future on a weekly basis, and he appeared frustrated last month when asked again.

“You always ask me about it, it’s amazing,” he said. “What else can I say? I want it to be sorted out as soon as possible.”

The 2010 World Cup winner returned to training Wednesday after undergoing knee surgery last month. He’s expected to be available for Madrid’s Champions League last-16 clash against Atalanta next week.

Ramos has helped Real Madrid win five La Liga trophies and four Champions League titles since arriving from Sevilla in 2005.

Lionel Messi has all the proof he needs to stay with the club beyond this season, Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman insisted on Wednesday.

“Leo has seen for quite some time that the team is improving thanks to all the changes we’ve made,” Koeman said after Barcelona bowed out of the Champions League.

“Particularly, we have young players of great quality. We’ve got a great future ahead. Leo can’t have any doubts about what the future holds for this team.”

Despite being eliminated in the round of 16 – the earliest Barcelona have stumbled since the 2006-07 season – the club is optimistic Messi will sign a new contract before his current deal expires on June 30. Newly elected club president Joan Laporta said he’s convinced the Argentine wants to stay.

Messi will decide on his future at the end of the campaign.

Koeman has breathed new life into the club since taking over last summer, earning praise in particular for incorporating more youth players into the first team. Academy graduates Pedri and Oscar Mingueza both started Wednesday’s second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, adding to a young core featuring the likes of Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, and Riqui Puig.

And after an indifferent start to the season, the Dutchman has steered Barcelona to the Copa del Rey final and back into the La Liga title race. The Blaugrana are now just six points behind first-placed Atletico Madrid with 12 matches to go.

Though Barcelona lost 5-2 on aggregate to PSG, the Spanish giants looked fresher and sharper in Wednesday’s second leg. Koeman said they “deserved” a better fate after the 1-1 draw at the Parc des Princes.

“In the first leg, (PSG) were ultra effective in front of goal, and in this match, we weren’t,” the 57-year-old added. “They scored four, here we scored once. That comparison of efficacy is the big difference across this tie. But no criticism of the lack of cutting edge. We put in a huge effort and merited more, maybe just a hint of luck. Their keeper was (the) player of the match.”

Andrea Pirlo isn’t fretting his position on the Juventus bench, despite the Italian side succumbing to another harrowing Champions League exit.

Juve were eliminated from the competition in the round of 16 for a second consecutive campaign, following up last season’s ouster at the hands of Lyon with another surprise setback, this time to FC Porto. Despite winning a chaotic match 3-2 in extra time Tuesday, Pirlo’s team was sent packing on the away goals rule after the tie finished level at four apiece.

Last year’s defeat against Lyon was cited as the main reason former manager Maurizio Sarri was replaced, but Pirlo doesn’t expect the same fate.

“I don’t know why Sarri was removed. I am the coach of Juventus, I was brought in for a more ample approach, a project that was always meant to develop over several years, so I am not concerned,” Pirlo told Sky Sport Italia after the match, as translated by ESPN.

“When you make four big errors over two legs in the Champions League round of 16, you can get eliminated,” he added.

Juventus, who haven’t gone beyond the quarterfinals of the competition since signing Cristiano Ronaldo, will now turn their attention to domestic football for the remainder of the season.

The club sits ten points back of Inter Milan for top spot in Serie A, albeit with a game in hand, and will take part in the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta.