Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus he wants to leave, with Manchester City reported to be his next destination.
The 36-year-old Portuguese has been linked with a move to City, who missed out on Tottenham forward Harry Kane in this summer’s transfer window.
Ronaldo has now indicated to Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri that he feels his future lies elsewhere.
“Yesterday, Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus. For this reason he will not be called up for tomorrow’s game,” Allegri said at a press conference ahead of the club’s Serie A match against Empoli in quotes posted on the official Juventus Twitter account.
🎙 Allegri: "Yesterday, @Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus. For this reason he will not be called up for tomorrow's game."#JuveEmpoli— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 27, 2021
“Cristiano is to be thanked for what he has done, also as an example amongst the youngsters. But as I said, we must go on.
“Things change, it’s a law of life. Juventus remains, which is the most important thing. Cristiano gave his contribution, he made himself available, now he leaves and life goes on.”
Juventus are reported to be seeking around £25million for Ronaldo.
Any move to City would be hugely controversial given his association to their local rivals Manchester United, who he played for with great distinction between 2003 and 2009.
Ronaldo, a five-time winner of the Ballon D’Or trophy awarded to the best player in the world, moved to Italy in 2018 after nine years with Real Madrid.
Any move would add to an already intriguing summer of transfer activity in Europe, with Lionel Messi having joined Paris St Germain on a free transfer and Kylian Mbappe linked with a move from PSG to Real Madrid.
