Jorge Mendes has reportedly approached Manchester United about Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Red Devils want him to take a significant pay cut.
What's the latest news involving Cristiano Ronaldo?
Tuttomercatoweb.com has reported that super agent Mendes has approached United in regards to taking on his high-profile client and former Red Devil Ronaldo.
However, the website unveiled that United would only consider signing the Portuguese international if he cuts his take-home pay by 50%.
As per the report, the Old Trafford club are open to offering Ronaldo a wage of €15m (£13m), potentially on a two-year deal.
At the moment, Ronaldo reportedly 'cannot believe' the deal but he may reconsider the offer at the end of the season.
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Why has Jorge Mendes offered him to Man United?
Following huge success for Juventus over the last decade, it's been a pretty underwhelming season during Andrea Pirlo's first year in charge.
The Turin club currently sit fourth in Serie A and are level on points with Napoli and AC Milan, with the Naples side just ahead on goal difference. Juve also suffered an early exit in the Champions League at the hands of Porto.
There's a very real possibility that the Italian side may be absent from Europe's top competition next season. The report has also stated how the five-time Ballon d'Or winner may be reluctant to feature in Europe's second-fiddle tournament, the Europa League.
Mendes apparently offered Ronaldo to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and the Red Devils, as he believed that only these three clubs could afford the Juve star.
As per the report, Madrid politely declined, while PSG reportedly didn't show any interest in Ronaldo. United, on the other hand, responded to Mendes but would only be willing to offer around half of what he currently earns after tax - €31m a year.
Has Ronaldo been a success at Juventus?
Despite being 36 years old, Ronaldo's maintained his ability to find the back of the net for the Serie A club and remains a truly world-class goal threat.
Across all competitions for Juventus this season, the ex-Madrid star has converted on 32 occasions, according to WhoScored. He has scored more goals than any other player in the Italian top-flight.
Additionally, Ronaldo has also racked up the highest WhoScored average rating out of the entirety of Serie A and has evidently been a stand-out performer in the division.
Nonetheless, the final frontier for Juventus is very much the Champions League and Ronaldo has brought them no closer to it during his time in Turin.
Is he United's best option in the transfer market?
This summer is going to be huge for transfers and a number of strike options have been mooted as United targets.
The Red Devils have been linked with Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland, who has converted 25 goals in the German top-flight this season. The 20-year-old will reportedly cost £128m to bring to Old Trafford and the 20-year-old could potentially feature for United for the next decade.
Harry Kane is another player who the Red Devils have an interest in. The Tottenham man is the Premier League's top goal scorer but reports suggest Daniel Levy won't let him leave for another English club - while pricing the England captain at an incredible £175m.
Ronaldo surely wouldn't be as expensive as either Haaland or Kane in terms of transfer fees, but he does want some pretty astronomical wages. Can United really justify that for a 36-year-old, even if he is one of the game's all-time greats?
In an ideal world, Kane or Haaland are the superior long-term options, but whether United would feel comfortable spending the necessary money on either of them remains to be seen. Perhaps Ronaldo could be brought back as a short-term solution until a more financially viable front-man comes along.