So with 24 teams knocked out of the World Cup, the transfer rumours are bound to reappear. Plenty of names have been flying around and multiple players have been linked to different clubs. And among these rumours, we have a very surprising one. Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

      Juventus are reportedly very very close to signing the Portugese legend and the procedures are underway. Today, Juventus kits with Ronaldo’s name on the back were sold in Turin. It is said that Ronaldo wants the move and Juventus are willing to pay the money. However, due to the huge price (obviously), The Old Lady will have to pay it in installments. 

      This has taken the footballing world by shock and most of us, including me, don’t believe there is any weight in the rumours. I have two sides of the story, why the transfer makes sense, and why the transfer does not make sense. 

Why the transfer looks feasible:

      Recent reports say that Juventus are willing to offload players like Higuain, Sandro, and Rugani in order to fund the big money move. Higuain to Chelsea for €60m, Rugani to Chelsea for €35m, Sandro to United for €60m, and Sturaro to Marseille for €20m will be well enough to protect them financial fair play regulations and secure their target man. Club that with the fact that maybe Real want funds for their potential transfer of Mbappe and it all makes sense.

      Another reason why they would want to invest in Ronaldo is their lack of competence in the Champions League. Juventus are mighty lions in the Serie A but end up getting beating in Europe by powerhouses like Real. Ronaldo is a serial winner and that force upfront will make them much more formidable. Dybala and Ronaldo are two great players and it is a no-brainer that the two are going to score a bucket load of goals at Juve. 

      If you ask, “what’s in it for Ronaldo?”, the answer is still pretty simple. He gets paid €30m a year in salary. He also gets to keep his number 7 shirt that will be taken off of Juan Cuadrado. Besides that, Ronaldo gets to win a domestic trophy every season, something he has found scarce in his time in Spain. He also gets to maintain his prima donna status at Juve because naturally, their squad isn’t as star studded as Real Madrid’s. 

      These are the reasons as to why I feel the deal is on the cards and might happen soon.

Why the transfer does not look feasible:

     If Juventus offload 3-4 players to fund the transfer of just one superstar imstead, it is not good business on their part. That is because they will still have to replace the sold players and that will involve more money and more haggling with other clubs. 

      Ronaldo to Juventus will give them a much better chance in Europe but it is still not enough. As we saw with PSG, signing one superstar does not guarantee domination. Apart from that, one of the main reasons for Ronaldo’s success at Real is his fabulous partnership with the left back, Marcelo. Marcelo is a world class left back and his understanding of Ronaldo’s game is the foundation of Real Madrid’s success. Juventus do not have a world class left back to feed Cristiano on the flanks.

      Leaving the football part of this out and you will see the biggest and most obvious reasons as to why this transfer will not happen. The CEO of Juventus, Giuseppe Marotta, and the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, are two individuals with huge personalities. I find it very hard to believe that a transfer of this magnitude will go about without any clashes or conflict of interests. 

       The last reason is that Real Madrid players are known to use other clubs as contract baits. Rewind to “Sergio Ramos to United is a done deal” to “Gareth Bale wants Manchester United move” and then fast forward to “Ramos agrees deal with Real and Bale signs contract extension”. Just because United have been spared this time, it seems confusing. The concept remains intact.

      Anyway, that was my take on the Ronaldo to Juventus transfer rumour. I feel that this deal will not go through and Ronaldo will end up signing an extension at Real instead. Personally, it feels weird imaging Ronaldo at a club that is not Real or United. However, only time will tell us. So all we can do now is enjoy this absolutely amazing World Cup instead.