Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is open to the prospect of returning to Manchester United this summer, a report from Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness claims.
The Portugal international made the switch to the Bianconeri from Real Madrid in 2018 for around £100 million, and he has impressed with 97 goals from his 127 appearances.
However, the 36-year-old is assessing his future ahead of the summer after what has turned into a disappointing 2020/21 campaign for the club.
It is added that the Portuguese is open to the ‘romantic idea’ of rejoining the Red Devils, where he was contracted between 2003 and 2009.
It is added that he is prepared to take a reasonable cut on his £27m annual wages but won’t accept anything less than £17.4m as the net salary.
While United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has talked about Ronaldo’s possible comeback in the past, it is claimed that the deal may not be feasible.
Sportslens view:
Ronaldo still has a huge following among the United faithful, and they would welcome the prospect of him returning to the club for the final phase of his career.
Despite being 36, Ronaldo continues to possess a splendid scoring record. He has bagged 32 goals from his 38 appearances for the Bianconeri this term.
With his contract expiring in less than 14 months, it has been reported that he could be available for a relatively affordable fee of around £26m.
However, the main stumbling block would be his wages. He could reportedly demand £383,000-a-week, which would make him the highest-paid footballer in the league.
While the return of Ronaldo may benefit United commercially with significant shirt sales, it is unlikely that they will pay such an astronomical salary to re-sign him.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
