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Ronaldo transfer: 5 factors suggest Juventus is close to pulling off the $116 million 'deal of the century'

Alan Dawson   

Ronaldo transfer: 5 factors suggest Juventus is close to pulling off the $116 million 'deal of the century'
Sports4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo

Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo.

  • Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly on the cusp of a $116 million transfer from Real Madrid CF to Juventus FC, according to multiple reports.
  • Ronaldo recently said he liked Juventus since he was a boy, his exit from Real was discussed by key figures at a meeting on Wednesday, and the player is allegedly in the market for a huge villa in Turin - the city where Juventus plays its home matches.
  • A former Juventus executive even claims the deal is already done - and one journalist has dubbed it "the deal of the century."
  • Should Ronaldo leave Real Madrid, he will do so as the club's all-time leading goalscorer and a forward who played a key role in each and every one of Real's four Champions League victories in the last nine years.


Cristiano Ronaldo is on the cusp of finalising an £88 million ($116 million) transfer from Real Madrid CF to Juventus FC, according to multiple reports.

The 33-year-old enjoyed sumptuous form last season as he finished top Champions League scorer with 15 goals from 13 appearances. He then impressed while playing for Portugal in the 2018 World Cup, and is ranked as one of the best players in the tournament.

But now Portugal has been dumped out of the World Cup, Ronaldo is free to focus on his future - and there are five clear factors that suggest his future is in Italy's Serie A with Juve, rather than Spain's Primera División with Real.

  1. Ronaldo recently said Juventus is a club he liked since he was a young boy.
  2. His biographer says "in his head, Ronaldo is a Juventus player."
  3. Ronaldo's Real Madrid exit was apparently agreed at a meeting on Wednesday.
  4. He is reportedly looking for a property in Turin, where Juventus plays its home games.
  5. A former Juventus executive says the deal is done.

Ronaldo declared his fondness for Juventus, the biggest club in Italy, earlier this year - and it may have gone slightly unnoticed at the time.

After all, Ronaldo had just scored one of the goals of the year as he executed an overhead kick in a Champions League knockout match in April. The shot ended up ripping into the net and sending the crowd wild - even the Juventus supporters begrudgingly applauded as they realised they had witnessed something special.

It was an action that Ronaldo recognised and was thankful for when speaking to Real Madrid media after the game, a game Real had won 3-0. He reportedly said, as per MARCA: "For people to applaud me at a stadium like that of Juventus, where they've had great players and where they have great players, is a top moment."

Ronaldo then declared his love for the club. "I'm very happy and excited because this has always been a club that I've liked since I was a little boy."

Ronaldo bicycle kick goal

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Cristiano Ronaldo stunned Juventus with this overhead goal.

In his head, Ronaldo is now a Juventus player, according to his biographer Guillem Balague, a noted Spanish soccer expert who reports for Sky Sports.

"In his head, Cristiano is a Juventus player," Balague tweeted this week

Though the Italian club is yet to make a formal bid, the player's superstar agent Jorge Mendes is assured that one will be made. Balague added: "[Ronaldo] has never been this close to leaving."

Balague may claim Real has not yet received an offer for Ronaldo, but the club has reportedly already held meetings to discuss the player's exit strategy as it seemingly expects a $116 million bid to be made.

MARCA reported on Thursday that three key figures - Real president Florentino Perez, his "right-hand man" Jose Angel Sanchez, and Ronaldo's agent Mendes - all met on Wednesday evening to discuss "the terms of a potential Santiago Bernabeu exit" for Ronaldo.

Sanchez reportedly will not accept anything less than $116 million from Juventus - a fee Mendes is confident the Serie A champion can afford.

With the player seemingly set to sign a four-year deal at Juve, it stands to logic that he will be in the market to buy a new property, and Spanish publication AS claims he is already shopping for a massive home in Turin - the city Juventus plays its home matches at.

If that were not enough, a former Juventus executive says the deal is already done. "In my opinion, he has already signed and he had a medical [evaluation] with Juventus," former general director Luciano Moggi said, as reported by MARCA.

MARCA says Moggi then said he had held discussions with "important people" who are privy to the situation.

Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 and has forged an incredible legacy at the club. Should he leave Real, he will do so as the club's all-time leading goalscorer (450 goals from 438 games in all competitions), and as one of the key players in a wildly successful Champions League run that included four championship victories in the last nine years.

Considering his record, it is understandable why the deal is already being dubbed "the signing of the century for Italian football."

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