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Gianluigi Buffon leaves PSG as he wants ‘new challenges’

Gianluigi Buffon said yesterday that he will return to Italy after agreeing to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the month, with the goalkeeper looking for "new challenges" in his home country after a year in the French capital.

Ligue 1 champions PSG had announced earlier that both club and player had agreed not to renew the former Italy captain's contract, which expires on June 30, after an underwhelming spell between the PSG sticks.

"Today, my adventure outside Italy ends: PSG offered me a contract renewal that I didn't feel it was right to sign given my desire for new experiences and professional challenges," the 41-year-old wrote on Instagram.

NOT RETIRING

The veteran, who won the World Cup in 2006 and is Italy's most-capped player with 176 appearances, did not say he would retire as a player and did not specify what challenges he was seeking.

However, Buffon's agent revealed that he had no intention of retiring and was still figuring out his next move.

"Gigi will not stop playing," Silvano Martina told Lazio fan radio station Citta Celeste.

"My client told me that he wants to take two days out to relax and think about his future with his family." - AFP

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