Speculation is rife that Juventus are closing in on the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, but Real Madrid are reportedly set to demand €150m for the Portuguese superstar.
The 33-year-old has enjoyed nine glittering years with Los Blancos, scoring 450 goals in 438 games, winning two La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies and countless individual accolades.
With 44 goals in 44 games last season, it would appear as though he could continue at the highest level with the Spanish giants for some time, but there has seemingly been a breakdown as he continues to be linked with an exit.
As noted by Marca, it’s claimed that Ronaldo has ‘given his word’ to Juventus over a transfer, while The Guardian note that the Serie A champions remain confident that a deal will be done.
It all seemingly stems from Ronaldo’s comments immediately after the Champions League final in Kiev in May, as despite seeing off Liverpool to win his fourth European title, he began casting doubt over his future at the Bernabeu, as noted by Goal.com.
That has seemingly snowballed over the summer, but according to Sport, Real Madrid will demand up to €150m for their talisman, albeit it’s suggested that that could be negotiated down to €130m.
In turn, it certainly doesn’t seem as though it will be cheap for Juve, although as they continue to dominate domestically but fall short in Europe, perhaps the sensational coup of a player like Ronaldo is what is necessary to take them to that next level in the Champions League.
Ronaldo undoubtedly has the pedigree in that competition, and with the likes of Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa and Mario Mandzukic around him, he may well have the perfect environment to start a new challenge and continue to win major honours with Juventus.