Man City withdraw from Cristiano Ronaldo transfer hunt giving Man Utd free run

Cristiano Ronaldo in profile

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer saga has taken a huge u-turn in his move away from Juventus. After reportedly being close to signing for Manchester City, the Citizens’ decided against a move for the Portuguese superstar – leaving ex-club and City rivals Manchester United free to agree a deal for the striker, according to the BBC.

Reports all week have linked Ronaldo to the Etihad after their move for Harry Kane broke down, given that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy wouldn’t budge on his £150million asking price.

However, despite a deal looking close and various reports suggesting that a deal was all but done, the BBC are now claiming that a deal between Ronaldo and City will not be happening at all – after talks again collapsed between City and a world-class striker.

Pep Guardiola didn’t give anything away in his press conference on Friday afternoon after the majority of questions asked were about his pursuit of the Juventus striker – but after saying he would love to manage Ronaldo as he was ‘one of the best players of the last 30 years’, talks have broken down just an hour after Guardiola’s conference.

Above all, it leaves not only City with the chance to rue their decision, but with the chance for Manchester United to steal in on the deal and bring home the god that they all worshipped at the turn of the century. 

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Ronaldo was bought by United in a £13m deal from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, after an impressive performance against the Red Devils for the team he grew up against.

He announced himself as the world’s best player before his departure to Madrid, winning countless trophies – including three Premier League titles, a Champions League and a Ballon D’Or before his £80m move to Real Madrid six years after his arrival.

United have been linked with Ronaldo for years on end ever since he left England, and it seemed that the older he got, the more likely a deal would be.

And that seems to be occuring now; with City out of the race, United have come in at the eleventh hour and are now reportedly the only runners in a deal for the Portugal star.

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Ronaldo has been rumoured to be available for a fee of £28m, which would mean a loss of £60m for Juventus after his service of three years in Turin.

City weren’t prepared to pay that price, instead offering Raheem Sterling for swap as a form of payment to Juventus chiefs.

However, the Bianconeri weren’t interested in Sterling; instead asking if they could take Gabriel Jesus instead.

But, with City only having one recognised senior striker in Jesus, it would be a pointless deal to make.

United fans would herald the return of Ronaldo if he was to join the Red Devils after over a decade away from the club.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has made his name household across all corners of the globe with fine performances for Real Madrid, Portugal and Juventus for years on end.

And even at 36, the superstar has shown no signs of slowing down.

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