Cristiano Ronaldo set to leave Juventus for Manchester City: report

Every football club in the world wants Cristiano Ronaldo on their roster. But not all of them can afford to pay the mind-boggling salary that the Portuguese behemoth earns. There aren't many players who continue to demand huge wages after crossing the age of 30, but 35-year old Ronaldo has got all the right to do so.

Despite slowly transitioning into the later phase of his career, Ronaldo has been displaying some terrific form on the pitch. He is not showing any signs of slowing down and his scoring rate is enviable for even the youngest players in the top European leagues.

But there's a problem in Juventus it seems. Give Me Sport reports that the Serie A side is willing to sell their best player to Manchester City in an attempt to restore the Italian club's financial health.

Juventus has reportedly been in deep trouble ever since the coronavirus-lockdown was imposed. Although restrictions have been lifted to some extent, the club is still struggling to keep its finances in check.

Back in 2018, Juve had signed Ronaldo for a whopping £100 million. They aimed to become European champions for the first time since 1996. And for that, Juve believed, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be the right person to help them.

So far, the Portuguese forward has been sensational for the Bianconeri as he scored 71 goals in 94 appearances for the club. This season, he has already netted the ball six times in five games. But Juve's wait to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy still continues even two years after CR7 came to Turin.

Amid this, Juventus is reportedly willing to recoup part of the £100 million they paid Real Madrid to sign Ronaldo and get his huge wages off their books. And in order to do that, Manchester City would be their preferred destination as the Premier League side has the financial prowess and funding to afford such a heavyweight player.

Speaking about Ronaldo's possible move to the Etihad Stadium, former Chelsea player Andy Townsend said, "If you want goals then I think he's still the ultimate goal machine. I know Messi and there has been so much mileage on the debate over the years but I still think Ronaldo still has the desire and wants to be remembered as the greatest. He will in some people's eyes but he won't in others. He's still got a desire to score goals. He just wants to score goals. If he came to Man City and the way they play I think he could go there and get 25 in his first season."

If the deal goes through and Ronaldo signs with City, it would be a shock for Manchester United fans, given that he had spent quite a considerable part of his career at Old Trafford with the Red Devils.