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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Cristiano Ronaldo 'willing' to break Man Utd promise with Premier League transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo is prepared to go back on his word by joining Manchester United's bitter rivals this summer, according to reports in Italy.

The Juventus superstar's future has been the subject of intense scrutiny for many months as he has entered the final 12 months of his contract in Turin.

Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Ronaldo closely as club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is said to dream of uniting the 36-year-old with Lionel Messi in the French capital.

But Manchester City have taken the lead in the race to sign the Portugal captain, with agent Jorge Mendes is ready to enter negotiations with Etihad chiefs.

Ronaldo previously vowed he would never play for United's cross-town rivals (Getty Images)

That's according to Corriere dello Sport , which claims Ronaldo is willing to leave Serie A and has informed the Juventus hierarchy of this.

The report adds the Bianconeri's finances have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and they could look to offload the five-time Ballon d'Or winner while they will still recoup a sizeable fee.

While PSG are keeping tabs on the situation, Ronaldo remains heavily linked with a move to former clubs Real Madrid and United.

But he may soon have to weigh up joining the Red Devils' local rivals - something he has promised he would never do in the past.

"To play for City not United? I’m not going to do that," said Ronaldo in 2013. "Why? Because my heart’s in Manchester United, that’s why.

"I can say it would be very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very difficult to play at Manchester City. Very difficult because of Manchester United."

Would Cristiano Ronaldo break his transfer pledge by joining Manchester City? Comment below.

Ronaldo scored 118 goals for the Red Devils across six seasons, winning seven major honours including the Champions League in 2008.

He then moved to Real Madrid for a then-world-record fee of £80million and enjoyed an iconic nine-season stint at the Santiago Bernabeu.

As well as Ronaldo's fresh links with City, there are murmurings in Spain that Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to reunite with his former player.

If Juventus are prepared to let their talisman depart, it marks a change in policy, given they have been vehemently opposed to this outcome throughout the summer.

Massimiliano Allegri returned for a second spell as Juve manager in May and said Ronaldo is at the centre of his plans for the 2021/22 campaign.

Allegri said: "Now he (Ronaldo) has more responsibility, because three years ago we had a more experienced team, while now there are younger players. I expect a lot from him in terms of responsibility, he is in good condition and he is fit."

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