Serie A is going to be absolutely fascinating to watch this season.

This week, AC Milan and Juventus pulled off some mutually beneficial business with a swap deal involving Gonzalo Higuain and Leonardo Bonucci.

Inter Milan have also been very active in the market, bringing in Radja Nainggolan from Roma and even considering an audacious bid for Luka Modric.

However, all that pales in comparison to Juventus' summer. It cost the champions a lofty €100million to procure five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

On the one hand, the Portuguese ought to bring a much-needed boost to Italian domestic football, yet there are those who fear his arrival will help the Old Lady to romp to an eighth successive Scudetto, taking out the competition in the process.

Yes, it's fair to say the 33-year-old's move has split opinions, with controversial Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently suggesting he was "getting on a bit now" and claiming Juventus couldn't really afford his wages.

It would appear that Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge shares that view, alleging that signing Ronaldo had everything to do with marketing, and little to do with football.

Rummenigge was shocked 

"He is a player who has won everything at Real Madrid in the last few years," he said, via AS.

"For the past five years he has been the best player in the world. Marketing questions have played a huge role in this move, but Bayern would not invest so much money on a player who is 33-years-old.

“I was surprised that my counterpart Andrea Agnelli decided to get involved in this deal.

“In Italy it has drawn a lot of praise. From Juventus’ point of view the signing makes sense; Italian football has lost ground in recent years. With this huge operation, the Italians hope to gain the attention of the football world again.”

Ronaldo's stats suggest that he is still a highly valuable acquisition, with 26 goals in La Liga and 15 in the Champions League last season.

Admittedly, the former Manchester United man has had to adapt his game considerably, no relying on his speed as much, but his initial fitness tests with the Bianconeri proved his physique is still remarkable for a man of his age.

It's also highly unlikely that Juventus would have signed him for marketing purposes alone.

Contrary to the popular myth, clubs do not benefit all that much from shirt sales - it is Adidas who will reap the rewards and research has shown that it is fans who are already buying replica kits who will get players names on the back, not entirely new supporters.

Ultimately then, Rummenigge's comments will raise eyebrows. Juventus have certainly rattled a few cages among Europe's elite. 

Do you think Juventus were right to sign Ronaldo? Have your say in the comments.