Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be on his way out of Juventus, but figuring out where he’ll go next has just gotten a lot more interesting.
Juventus manager Max Allegri admitted that the end is near, a day after various sources said Ronaldo had expressed his desire to be sold and is prepared to leave the club. Allegri stated quite clearly in his pre-match press conference on Friday that Ronaldo has expressed his desire to quit the club. He is no longer training with the club and will not be available for selection against Empoli on Saturday. It this comes only a week after Ronaldo dismissed transfer rumors about his future on Instagram, calling them “disrespectful” and “just talk.”
Even after he was benched for the first game of the season, Allegri and Juventus vice president Pavel Nedved issued clear denials of the record-breaking goalscorer’s pending exit (he came on as a substitute and appeared to score the match-winning goal in stoppage time, only to have it overturned by VAR). Nonetheless, Ronaldo, who is in the final year of his four-year contract with Juve, is on the verge of switching clubs once more.
However, wanting to leave is one thing; having a willing suitor is quite another. Up until Friday, Manchester City appeared to be the most likely destination, but that was only after the club’s bids to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham were rebuffed. According to reports, Juventus is seeking a fee in the €30 million ($35 million) range for a player it obtained from Real Madrid for €100 million in 2018. Kane, on the other hand, is 28 and has a three-year contract, whilst Ronaldo is 36 and will be out in June.
There were doubts about the tactical fit, and after a day in which all signs pointed to a move to Manchester’s blue side, it now appears that a spectacular return to the red side is the most likely choice. According to multiple reports, City has dropped out of the race entirely, leaving Man United as the surprising leader for his signature.
United, where Ronaldo played from 2003 to 2009, joined the conversation on Friday after manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer stated that a remarkable comeback is suddenly possible during his prematch press conference.
“He is a legend of this club, the greatest player of all time if you ask me. I was fortunate enough to play with him. I coached him when I got my job,” Solskjaer, whose club has already bought Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane this summer, said. “He is such a tremendous human being as well. Let’s see what happens with Cristiano. Everyone who has played with him has a soft spot for him.
“We’ve always had a good communication. Bruno (Fernandes) has been talking to him. He knows what we feel about him. If he was ever going to move away from Juventus, he knows we’re here.”
If Ronaldo returns to United, he will be expected to be the consistent goal-scorer that he has been in the latter stages of his career. He has a total of 101 goals for Juventus (81 in Serie A, 14 in the Champions League, and six in domestic cups), but the club has yet to advance past the quarterfinals of the Champions League since he arrived, and the sole motivation for bringing him in to a team that was already dominant domestically was to win the European championship.
That never occurred, and now Manchester United appears to be hoping he is the final piece in the puzzle to restore domestic league glory to Old Trafford—despite the fact that he did not appear to be in the club’s plans until recently. United was drawn into a Champions League group with Villarreal, Atalanta, and Young Boys on Thursday, and was already a strong favorite to win the competition, regardless of whether Ronaldo joins the club or not. In 2008, Manchester United earned one of Ronaldo’s five Champions League titles.
Nothing is done yet, though. The deadline for Ronaldo to secure his move is Tuesday, Aug. 31.
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