Manchester United have reportedly made a formal offer to super agent Jorge Mendes in a bid to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, 11 years after he departed for Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from Juventus in recent weeks with reports emerging that the Italian champions want rid of the superstar and his £28million per year salary.
Portuguese newspaper Record, via SportWitness, were the first to break the story of Ronaldo heading to Madrid in 2009 and have now detailed how United have ‘made a formal offer’ to Mendes, who represents the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic have seen elite clubs across Europe look to curb their spending and reduce their wage bill and Juventus are no different.
Ronaldo is far and away the club’s top earner – he earns five times more than his highest paid team-mate Paulo Dybala.
But having been brought in two years ago to end their barren run without winning the Champions League, he has failed to get them over the line.
His current deal runs until 2022 and given Ronaldo’s desire to continue playing, talk over his future has intensified following Juventus’ disappointing start to the new season.
Much has been made of comments by rookie boss Andrea Pirlo, too, after he savaged his attackers as ‘selfish’ following a recent Champions League win over Ferencvaros.
‘I talk to my players a lot, but they make the choices when they are on the pitch. They could’ve been less egotistical and killed off the game earlier,’ Pirlo told former England boss Fabio Capello during an interview on Sky Sports Italia.
‘We are playing with two forwards plus two wide men. Once we get everyone in shape, we can evaluate who to use together. So far, not everyone has been at 100 per cent, so it’s been normal to rotate them and leave one out.’
Manchester United fans adored Ronaldo during his time at the club and many would no doubt love to see the Portuguese return to finish his career at Old Trafford.
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