Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had ruled out a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo this summer after reports emerged that he was keen to work with the 36-year-old again.
Ronaldo enjoyed a historic spell in the Spanish capital between 2009 and 2018 before leaving for Juventus. The Portuguese great scored 450 times in 438 appearances, claimed four Ballon d’Or titles and won 15 major honours at the club.
It was Ancelotti who guided Los Blancos to La Decima in 2014 following a 4-1 triumph over crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final. The Italian boss is now back in Madrid following the amicable exit of Zinedine Zidane in the summer and has been tasked with overseeing a period of stability.
Nevertheless, Real’s poor financial situation and their desire to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer haven’t stopped the Spanish media from working their magic.
Reports of Ronaldo’s potential Real return
Ronaldo’s Juventus future has been thrust into considerable doubt this summer. The 36-year-old’s contract expires next June and there have been no efforts on behalf of the club to open talks over an extension.
In fact, some reports had suggested the Bianconeri were keen to get Ronaldo off their books in a bid to lift a huge financial weight off their shoulders. PSG had emerged as a potential buyer, while Manchester United and Real Madrid were touted with possessing some interest.
According to El Chiringuito’s Edu Aguirre (via MARCA), Ancelotti was open to bringing Ronaldo back to Real this summer and had already initiated talks with Ronaldo’s camp over a possible return.
However, the Madrid boss quickly shunned reports by tweeting from his official Twitter account: “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect. I have never considered signing him. We look forward.”
Ronaldo will stay at Juventus
Juventus Twitter was sent into a frenzy on Monday night after Sky Italy said they had an exclusive report regarding Ronaldo’s future.
However, the ‘exclusive” proved to be a mere anti-climax.
Fabrizio Romano wrote that Juventus are yet to receive a bid for the forward, with PSG uninterested in signing the 36-year-old this summer. Thus, he’s expected to stay in Turin for the 2021/22 season.
Romeo Agresti (via JuveFC) reported earlier this month that he was confident of a Ronaldo stay despite doubts emerging over his future.