Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed personal terms ahead of a sensational move to Manchester City, according to reports in Portugal.
The 36-year-old’s future at Juventus has been cast into doubt this summer and his agent Jorge Mendes flew to meet the Serie A giants’ bosses to discuss a resolution this week.
But now reports in the Portugal international’s home country suggest he has already spoken with City boss Pep Guardiola, and that the Italian side are now in talks with the Premier League champions about letting him leave three years after he joined.
Following up on the crunch summit between Juventus and Mendes, further reports have described the talks as being fraught with tension.
Reports in Italy earlier this week reported that City had offered the former Manchester United star a two-year deal worth £230,000 per week after missing out on Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Sportsmail also understands the ex-Real Madrid forward was offered to Guardiola’s side in a £25million deal earlier this month.
But with the conditions for Ronaldo’s lucrative contract at City now believed to have been ironed out, it falls to City to negotiate a fee. This has threatened to prove a stumbling block, however, with the club said to be unwilling to splash out.
Ronaldo is believed to currently earn in excess of £500,000 per week at the Allianz Stadium. He signed for Juventus in a mega-money move from Real Madrid in 2018, but now has less than 12 months remaining on his deal at the Serie A giants.
The same report suggested that Guardiola reportedly rejected a proposal of a swap deal involving Gabriel Jesus, as City look to find a compromise.
Soon, the Catalan boss and the Portugal star could finally represent the same club, with the former having spoken about his admiration for the player before.
‘We don’t have a single player who can win a game, we don’t have a Cristiano, [Lionel] Messi, a Neymar,’ Guardiola once said, highlighting Ronaldo first.
‘We don’t have these types of players who can win games by themselves. I told the players many times, you have to play as a team.
‘I will be honest. I’d like to have a player to score, every single game, four goals and run like these players can run. I would love it.’
If the recent ground-breaking reports are to be believed, then Guardiola looks to have finally secured this elusive final piece of the puzzle.
Paris Saint-Germain were reportedly also sounded out as an option for Ronaldo, especially in light of their stunning summer business. But with Lionel Messi already in their ranks, that switch failed to get off the ground.
Ronaldo made it clear to Juventus that he is angling for an exit over the coming days after asking to be benched for their clash with Udinese. Massimiliano Allegri denied this, but it is understood a departure is on the cards.
Pavel Nedved, vice-chairman of the Old Lady, doubled down on Allegri’s bullish comments, telling DAZN: ‘We’ve decided together with Ronaldo. It’s normal. Ronaldo will 100% stay.
‘It was a shared decision with the player. We have to start [the] season, [but] you can’t be at the top. It’s a decision for the good of the team. [Giorgio] Chiellini, a European champion, also starts from the bench today.
‘Will CR7 stay at Juventus? Absolutely yes.’
Despite this standoffish nature, Ronaldo was also purportedly offered back to Real Madrid. This was quickly denied by Carlo Ancelotti and Ronaldo, though, with the player brushing off the talk in a 286-word social media post.
But with City now interested, he looks increasingly likely to finally secure his move. His new suitors turned their attentions to him after missing out on Harry Kane.
City have already sent jaws dropping in this window, having secured Aston Villa and England playmaker Jack Grealish for a £100m fee, a British transfer record. Both Grealish and Kane were identified as their primary targets.
