Higuain and Khedira 'have Juventus contracts TERMINATED by new boss Pirlo'

Andrea Pirlo's Juventus revolution is kicking into gear, with the Italian Champions' new boss axing Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira from his squad.

The legendary playmaker was Mauricio Sarri's shock replacement just nine days after being appointed manager of the Turin side's under-23 side.

Sarri was sacked following his Champions League nightmare, crashing out in the last-16 after aggregate defeat to Lyon, extending Juve's wait for European glory since 1996.

Pirlo is tasked with achieving what Sarri, Max Allegri and Co couldn't in sealing Europe's top prize, and has so far culled three players, with Blaise Matuidi already departing for MLS side Inter Miami.

Experienced stars Higuain (32) and Khedira (33) have followed, with Pirlo taking the drastic decision of cancelling the pair's contracts a year before their expiry, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Juve will be relieved to rid themselves of Higuain's £6.7m wage bill amid the coronavirus pinch, while both former Real Madrid stars are reportedly in talks with the Turin side over payouts.

Higuain scored just eight goals in 32 Serie A games this season, having also failed to hit double figures in an ill-fated season on-loan at Chelsea in the Premier League.

Khedira's season was savaged by knee trouble, playing 12 of Juventus' first 13 games in the Italian top-flight before spending the rest of the campaign on the sidelines.