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Background
The story that has been on everyone's lips: could Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo leave the Madrid giants for a move to Juventus?
The Portuguese superstar may be 33 but remains at the peak of his powers, coming off an excellent 2017/18 campaign in which he scored 23 goals in 13 La Liga matches and helped the Los Blancos to a record-breaking 3rd consecutive Champions League title, Ronaldo's 5th overall. Furthermore, he was in great form for Portugal in the World Cup, scoring 4 goals in 4 games as Portugal eventually were eliminated in the Round of 16 at the hands of Uruguay.
The Story so far
The story begins on the night of the Champions League final in Kiev. After Real Madrid's victory on the night, Ronaldo hints towards a Real Madrid exit. This prompted mass speculation throughout the past few days, but the rumours died down soon.
After that, more recently, during the Fifa World Cup was underway, Real Madrid reportedly lowered Ronaldo's buyout clause from 1 Billion to 120 Million, prompting the analysts to resume speculation about Ronaldo's future.
Many contenders for the Portuguese superstar's signature were assumed to be leading the race before Juventus appeared as favourites, with the Old Lady touted to be hoping the winger on a deal exceeding 100M Euros, offering Ronaldo himself a salary of 30M Euros per year, making him the highest paid player in the Serie A. The Agnelli family, owners of Juventus and also motor-company FIAT, have been said to be the main component in generating funds for the massive deal.
Furthermore, over the course of the last few days, as per reports from MARCA, Ronaldo has also reportedly rejected a lucrative move to the Chinese Super League. The offer from a so-far unnamed club which would have reportedly offered him a massive salary of 100M Euros per year. Ronaldo, however, denied the move feeling that he still has it in him to ply his trade at the highest level in Europe. The report also stated that when the time does come, Ronaldo is reportedly favouring a move to the MLS to ease himself into retirement.
Possible Destinations
With the transfer gathering traction by the second, Ronaldo's move could possibly be finalised as early as next week. The runaway contenders so far seem to be Juventus, with Manchester United, Machester City and PSG also in the chase as per reports. Eagle-eyed followers have spotted Ronaldo's website adorned in Juventus colours, hinting at a possible move, and also citing the selling of his shirts with his iconic no.7 in Turin as further proof of the transfer going through. So far though, all his fans can do is play the waiting game.
Most Likely Outcome:
Though an extension in Madrid seems further unlikely by the day, it is still very much in the picture, taking into account Ronaldo's stature at the club and his good relationship with club captain Sergio Ramos and the other teammates. However, it is said that his relationship with club president Florentino Perez has been 'damaged beyond repair', and with all the escalation in the matter over the past few days, Ronaldo's most probable destination looks like it will be Italy, and with his shirts already on sale in Turin, it looks all but certain that the Portuguese superstar is set to grace the Serie A next season.
