Mourinho and Manchester United are in quite the predicament these days as one big decision may be due. None other than Cristiano Ronaldo seems closer than ever to a transfer away from Real Madrid who are reportedly willing to sell – for the right price of course. What is the right price?
According to Sky Sports, the Spanish side would expect any offer to start at around £89m. Add to that Ronaldo’s £44m salary and you get over £100m spent in just one year for a player who will be turning 33 in a couple of weeks.
While everyone knows Mourinho does not have a problem with age and with bringing players he worked with near him again, there is a matter of money here. Basically, signing Ronaldo could hurt the club’s transfer plans for at least one year considering the FIFA Financial Fair play rules and the massive dent such a move would leave in the transfer budget.
On the other hand, Ronaldo is Ronaldo. He would surely bring something to the table despite his age. Aside from his determination, Ronaldo is known for his impeccable work ethic and even though it might not be that “politically correct” to say, everyone knows, Messi is pure talent while the Portuguese has talent but has had to hard work and dedicate himself to the game to reach the heights he has.
Looking at this from all perspectives, there’s not that much in favor of a transfer this big. Sure he can win you games, but, Martial can do so as well right now. Lukaku can do the same, Valencia can do the same. With the money Real are expecting, you could get a younger Dybala who is bound to win you matches as well. You could possibly get Dele Alli from Tottenham.
Ronaldo’s move to the Premier League would also come with a bidding war. Manchester City and Chelsea might as well be taken into consideration as money is not a problem for them either and even Liverpool may throw their hats into the ring. But again, would Ronaldo be really worth it? And would Klopp or Conte risk putting pressure on the locker room with such a big personality coming in?
As good as it would be to see Ronaldo at Old Trafford, it might be a bit late to sign him. He is likely to be part of a historical swap between PSG and Real, a swap that would bring Neymar to Santiago Bernabeu.