Juventus could be forced to sell Ronaldo cheap

Cristiano Ronaldo has already had a wage cut, and now he could leave Serie-A champion as Juventus struggle to manage the balance sheet

Juventus could be forced to sell Ronaldo for cut-price fee

Juventus may be forced to sell Cristiano Ronald because of the devastating implications that coronavirus may have on the club’s finances. 

There is a huge concern that the Corona pandemic will cause a huge financial strain on the Serie-A champions, who claim they may not be able to afford the superstar’s salary, Il Messagero reported,. 

Ronaldo has already waived four-month’s salary on his £28m-a-year wage this week. The wage reduction, accepted by Juventus players for the next four months, will save the club £80m. But Juventus will then have to make up the short-fall, allowing Ronaldo and Co to recoup what they’ve lost when football eventually returns to normality. 

A study recently published by the CIES Football Observatory, said that owing to the COVID-19, player transfer fees will drop by approximately 28 per cent. This suggests Juventus will only recoup around £62m of the £100m they paid Real Madrid in 2018, considering Ronaldo’s current market value £80m.

The trigger for Juventus to Sell Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo will end up losing around £10m in the coming months from the wage cut. If Ronaldo was to ask Juventus to give him the approximately £10m left in the budget without extending his contract, the club would be forced to sell him.

Ronaldo would need to accept these terms, which he is not guaranteed to do and if he doesn’t, a sensational transfer away suddenly becomes possible. 

Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli is confident of agreeing terms on a new deal until 2024 with the Portuguese, cementing the forward’s legendary status at the club. 

He would propose spreading the cost of the £10m owed to Ronaldo over the next two seasons. 

And Agnelli is confident he will be able to strike a deal because the relationship with Ronaldo is as strong as that with his agent Jorge Mendes, with whom he is starting to discuss new players to recruit in the summer.

Potential Suitors

The 35-year-old will have no shortage of interested parties. It could re-spark interest from Manchester United who have reportedly been keen on re-signing their former player in the past. Manchester City, too, might have the economic backing to compete, but their ongoing FFP battle may complicate matters. Ronaldo could go back to Real Madrid, which would be eager to take him back.

Who will be retained and who will be sold?

With this in mind, Juventus are not concerned about losing key men. They have a plan in place for renewing deals for Ronaldo, Rodrigo Bentancur, Paulo Dybala and Matthijs de Ligt.  

But Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira are expected to be allowed to leave for almost nothing to help Juventus shave £13million off the wage bill as both of their contracts expire next summer. 

Experts have predicted that the footballing landscape is set for a huge change owing to the outbreak, so it remains to be seen whether much business will be done at all in the summer transfer window, which will see a major change this time.