Cristiano Ronaldo wants to complete a sensational return to Real Madrid from Juventus, according to reports in Spain.
The 36-year-old joined the Italian champions from the Spanish outfit in a deal worth £88 million in 2018, with the hope he would lead his new side to an elusive Champions League title.
But their frustration in the competition continued in midweek as they were knocked out by Porto, with Juventus failing to advance past the quarter-finals in each of the last three seasons.
Now with just one year left on his deal in Turin, Spanish outlet AS claim the Portugal star is eyeing a return to LaLiga champions Madrid, with whom he has reportedly been in contact with for months.
His £28 million-per-year salary means he is one of the club’s highest earners and the report adds that could lead them to offloading him this summer.
Ronaldo helped guide Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid to four Champions League titles in five seasons, as well as leading the club to two LaLiga titles during his nine-year stay, which saw him score 450 goals in 438 appearances across all competitions.
MARCA however say Madrid have moved to dismiss speculation ‘for now’ linking them with a dramatic move to bring Ronaldo back to the club this summer.
And French boss Zidane also remained coy on links of Ronaldo’s potential return when asked at a press conference ahead of the visit of Elche.
READ ALSO
“You know what Cristiano Ronaldo means for Real Madrid,” Zidane said.
“You know the affection we have for him at Real Madrid. What he did here was magnificent.
“Right now he’s a Juventus player and he’s doing really well there. I can’t say anything about all the many things they say. I can only say that he is a Juventus player and we have to respect that.”
The reports in Spain come after their Italian counterparts Corriere dello Sport claimed Juventus will accept an offer as low as £25m to part ways with the 36-year-old, with any less than that sum resulting in a capital loss for the club.
Other reports in Italy suggest Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in landing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo’s agent Mendes has strong relationships with European football’s elite clubs, with French reports this week outlining that the Portuguese keeps in regular contact with PSG’s club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
In the event that Kylian Mbappe decides to leave the Parc des Princes, PSG would reportedly look to sign either Ronaldo or his great football rival Lionel Messi whose Barcelona future is far from certain.