Report: Juventus won't tour U.S. amid Ronaldo rape investigation

An ongoing rape investigation against Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly influenced Juventus' decision not to play in the United States this summer.

People familiar with the club's summer schedule told the New York Times' Tariq Panja that Juventus will instead fly to Asia as part of their multi-year agreement with Relevent Sports, the organizer of the International Champions Cup.

In September, Las Vegas police reopened an investigation into an allegation of rape put forward by a local woman who met Ronaldo in June 2009.

Kathryn Mayorga, who shared her account of events in an interview with German news magazine Der Spiegel, says Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room and paid her $375,000 in exchange for her silence.

Ronaldo "firmly" denies the allegation, saying he has a "clear conscience."

His legal team threatened to sue Der Spiegel, stating that the documents cited in the report were manipulated and part of an "elaborate and deliberate defamation campaign."

Der Spiegel defended its story and said it was "carefully researched."

Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid for €100 million in July, months before Der Spiegel published its interview with Mayorga. Juventus later championed their star signing's "great professionalism and dedication" in a show of support on Twitter.