Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been offered to Barcelonain a sensational move that would see him play alongside Lionel Messi.
The former Real Madrid talisman could be on his way out from Juventus, after two seasons with The Old Lady – who are trying to get his huge £28m-per-year salary off their books, according to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.
He explained to the BBC that the Serie A champions are desperate to ship off Ronaldo due to his astronomical wages that they have been offering him out to Europe’s elite, including Barcelona.
Juventus’ hierarchy of Sporting Director, Fabio Paratici, Vice President Pavel Nedved and Chairman Andrea Agnelli with new boss Andrea Pirlo held a meeting late last night to decide who will leave out of Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala, according to Sportmediaset.
The Italian giants can reportedly only afford to keep one at the club for next season due to their financial situation and desire to bring in at least one striker, a right back and a winger.
Both Ronaldo and Dybala have contracts at the club until the summer of 2022 and Juventus could get between £50m and £90m for either of their stars.
“He’s been offered everywhere, including Barcelona,” Balague told BBC’s 5 Live Sport on Ronaldo: “I’m not sure if they can get rid of him easily with the kind of money he earns. Who is going to pay that kind of money?”
Barcelona have been hit hard financially by the coronavirus pandemic and look unable to make big-money signings during the summer period, as they hope to bridge the gap to LaLiga champions Real Madrid.
While an attacking duo of Messi and Ronaldo has been a spectacle football fans have been crying out for since they both announced themselves on the world stage around 15 years ago, it looks incredibly unlikely to become a reality this summer.
The two have been battling it out on the highest stage in football and dividing opinion as to who is the better player for over a decade. They share eleven Ballon d’Or awards between them; Messi with six and Ronaldo with five, and have a combined 1,272 career goals.
Ronaldo still has two years left on his deal with Juventus, as he penned a hugely lucrative four-year deal back in 2018. The player has made no comment or action to suggest he wants to leave the club, however, with the recent sacking of Maurizio Sarri his priorities for the future remain unknown.
Amid the arrival of new Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo, the club are looking to axe players such as Aaron Ramseyand potentially Dybala as they look to rebuild under the Italian. The Welshman’s reported £250,000-per-week salary would help fund a new-look team that the Serie A side want, after they crashed out of the Champions League to Lyon.
