According to Il Corriere Dello Sport, Ciro Ferrara‘s reign as Juventus coach could come to an abrupt and premature end by January as Guus Hiddink prepares for an arrival at Vinovo. The return of Roberto Bettega at the club has paved the way for Hiddink to come in and replace the underfire Ferrara.

The report suggests Bettega has already opened up dialogue with Hiddink and the two men have reached a consensus so he can join the club officially on January 2 – when the Italian transfer market re-opens for business.

It means Hiddink’s first game in charge will be against Parma on January 6, before he welcomes Milan to the Stadio Olimpico four days later.

The vice general director has been hard at work trying to understand where Juve have been going wrong, and he has designed a number of action plans that he hopes will cure the problem.

Despite the report, Juventus have always confirmed their faith in Ciro Ferrara, even denying they were in contact with Hiddink last week.

But Bettega’s arrival appears to have resparked the speculation surrounding the Italian’s future.