It could be a wild summer on the European transfer market as another massive name has been quietly kicking the tires with several top clubs around the continent to gauge interest. Cristiano Ronaldo’s representatives continue to have ongoing talks with Juventus about his future, however that hasn’t stopped them from reaching out to some of soccer’s other iconic clubs. Amongst those that are rumoured to have been contacted are Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Manchester United.
While his agents continue to earn their keep in boardrooms across Europe, those close to Ronaldo say he has yet to come to a firm decision on his future. And with the European Championships kicking off next week, those monitoring the situation aren’t expecting to hear any final verdicts until after the tournament wraps up.
Although you’d be hard pressed to find a single club around the globe who wouldn’t love to add Ronaldo, and the sizeable merchandise/marketing benefits that accompany a player of his status, between Cristiano’s salary demands and the asking price from Juventus for his rights, there are likely only a handful of teams who could realistically make a run at the Portugese superstar. This is especially true coming off the financial downturn which clubs faced during the pandemic over the past year.
Despite the fact that he just celebrated his 36th birthday, Ronaldo’s on field performance still ranks amongst the game’s elite. Cristiano managed to net 36 goals in 44 games last season with Juventus after needing three weeks to recover from COVID.
Ronaldo joins Lionel Messi, and Harry Kane as some of the big name soccer stars who could be on the move this summer. Manchester United has already committed publicly to spending, which has led many to wonder if one or more of the “Big 3” could be headed to Old Trafford before September.
Ronaldo will be leading a talented Portugal team next week at the European Championships in his quest to earn back to back titles. He’ll be playing alongside Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias to name a few of the other talented players who will be bolstering the defending champion side’s roster. And with nearly every major European player in action over the next few weeks, you can be all but assured that there will be more than a few “recruiting pitches” from players hoping to sway Cristiano to join their club team this fall.