Manchester United have officially announced the re-signing of their former talisman, Cristiano Ronaldo after they agreed a fee with Juventus for the sensational player.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is expected to sign a two-year deal subject to a medical, with United having agreed to pay an initial €20million to the Italian club plus up to €3million in bonuses.
Prior to United announcement, Manchester City had seemed the most likely destination for the five-times Ballon d’Or winner until Friday morning.
But after a whirlwind 48 hours that saw Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, hold talks with Juventus officials in Turin on Wednesday over a potential move to the Etihad Stadium, City confirmed on Friday lunchtime that they were no longer interested.
Shockingly, it then emerged today that United were in pole position to sign him before an official statement from the club some few hours later to confirm they had reached agreement with Juventus for a deal to re-sign the player who joined from Sporting Lisbon as a teenager and spent six seasons at Old Trafford before moving to Madrid for a world-record £80million in 2009.
“Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical,” it read.
“Cristiano, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has so far won over 30 major trophies during his career, including five Uefa Champions League titles, four Fifa Club World Cups, seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and the European Championship for his native Portugal. In his first spell for Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games. Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester,” the statement said.
Ronaldo has less than 12 months left on his contract with Juventus, worth an estimated €31million a season after tax.