Manchester United could reportedly make a shock move for Cristiano Ronaldo, if the Portuguese ace decides to leave Juventus this summer.
The 36-year-old moved to the Italian club from Real Madrid in 2018, and has helped the club to two Serie A titles. But the Champions League has eluded the Italian giants.
As per Calciomercato, Juventus will not stop Cristiano Ronaldo from leaving the club if he intends to take up a new challenge. Ronaldo’s contract with the club expires at the end of the 2022 season, but Juventus might try to offload him as he is currently burning a hole in their wage bill.
The report states that even though Cristiano Ronaldo has a good relationship with Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, the Whites will not be interested in re-signing him as they will turn their attention towards one of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland.
Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain could be interested in signing him, while his childhood club Sporting Lisbon, are also keen on bringing back their hero.
Going after Cristiano Ronaldo – A wise move by Manchester United?
Cristiano Ronaldo will go down in history as one of Manchester United’s greatest players. The Portuguese legend helped the Premier League side to three successive league titles, and the Champions League before leaving the club on good terms. The Manchester United faithful still adore him and sing his songs to this day, over a decade after leaving the club.
But, bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford may not be a wise move. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has slowly put together a team that plays as one and has brought out the best in several players.
🇵🇹❤️ pic.twitter.com/xZJltnCgaR
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) March 29, 2021
The team consists of several young stars and a few experienced players, striking the perfect balance to potentially challenge for the league title in the future. Manchester United, despite the progress shown in recent months, are still two or three players short of challenging Manchester City in the league, and perhaps lifting the title.
The players that Solskjaer needs to target are Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland – young stars who can have a huge impact on the club over the next decade.
Ronaldo is at the twilight of his career, and even though he is still scoring loads of goals each season, he will only be a stop-gap solution to Manchester United’s attacking problems. The 36-year-old also earns an eye-watering wage of €30 million per year, which could derail United’s plans to offer new contracts to current star players, like Paul Pogba.
While the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford would delight fans, the Portuguese star may not be the right fit for this United side and would increase the wage bill significantly, which is not a prudent idea for the club’s future.
