Forward considering Man City move
Cristiano Ronaldo can go back on a promise he made to former club Manchester United by returning to England with rivals Manchester City.
After three years with Juventus, Ronaldo is ready to move on in the pursuit of a new goal and had been strongly linked to Paris Saint-Germain, whose interest has now waned after their acquisition of Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo is open to leaving Juventus / Marco Canoniero / Getty Images
Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is now looking for an alternative home for the 36-year-old, and according to Corriere dello Sport, the idea of a move to the blue side of Manchester has been discussed.
Mendes has offered Ronaldo’s services to City Manager Pep Guardiola, who is looking for a new striker this summer. The Spaniard is facing an uphill climb to sign Tottenham’s Harry Kane and may be forced to look for a short-term alternative, and they will not do much better than Ronaldo.
City owner Sheikh Mansour is now said to be seriously considering starting a move for Ronaldo, but such a return to Manchester may not go well for United fans due to a promise the winger gave them in 2013.
“To play for City not United? I will not do that,” he said (via goal). “Why? Because my heart is in Manchester United, that’s why.
“I can say it would be very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very difficult to play in Manchester City. Very difficult because of Manchester United.”
Ronaldo rose to superstar with United, scoring 118 goals in 292 games for the Red Devils and helping to win three Premier League titles and the 2007/08 Champions League.
Ronaldo was a star of United / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
He became the most expensive player in history at the time Real Madrid took him for a full £ 80 million in 2009, but their expenses would eventually be justified as Ronaldo became the club’s leading scorer of all time during his nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The goals have continued to come in Italy, with Ronaldo reaching the 100 mark in his first three seasons, but he may stand in line for one last shot to push up his Premier League figures.