According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United have offered Cristiano Ronaldo a £17m-per-year contract offer in a deal that could see Paul Pogba re-join Juventus this summer.
An eye-catching, if somewhat ambitious, story involving two of the biggest names in European football, Ronaldo and Pogba are likely to frequently feature in gossip columns and the likes over the coming weeks and months.
Luke Chadwick on Paul Pogba | The Football Terrace
Both stars are entering the final year of their respective contracts amid lingering doubts as to whether or not they will stay with their current employers.
A potentially huge story, GIVEMESPORT writers Jonathan Gorrie, Sam Brookes, Joshua Cole and Christy Malyan have given their verdicts on who United need in their squad more next season.
Jonathan Gorrie
An absolute artist when played correctly as he showed during France's win over Germany, Pogba is a unique midfielder. Able to pick out a pass not wholly apparent to the untrained eye, he's also capable of shielding the back four, as was evident in Tuesday's win in Munich.
Granted, we haven't always seen the best of him since re-joining the club in the summer of 2016 but it's not as if United have been enjoying a particularly strong period in that time. With Bruno Fernandes leading the charge alongside Edinson Cavani and potentially Jadon Sancho, Pogba would have plenty of options to feed with the kind of passes he's produced at the European Championships so far.
As good as Ronaldo is, he's a goalscorer at this stage of his career. Pogba has more dimensions.
Sam Brookes
"When looking at Ronaldo’s numbers this season, they are extremely impressive once again. Scoring 29 goals in Serie A is a phenomenal achievement, especially considering he is now 36 years of age.
"However, as crazy as it may sound, Juventus have not actually looked very good as a team when Ronaldo has featured for them this year. Great players normally get the best out of those around them, and that has not always been the case for Ronaldo at Juventus in 2020/21, with the likes of Paulo Dybala and Dejan Kulusevski having underwhelming campaigns.
"At times, it has felt like Ronaldo has been getting shoehorned into the team as he can produce individual moments of magic, but this does not always benefit the team as a whole.
"Meanwhile, Pogba has so much potential, and at 28, he should be in his prime. If United can bring in a high-class holding midfielder who will let Pogba move further up the pitch, they will see the very best of him soon enough.
"That is why it is worth sticking with Pogba moving forwards rather than going after Ronaldo".
Joshua Cole
“Whilst it is safe to say that Ronaldo has now entered the twilight of his career, he is showing no signs of slowing down and was once again in phenomenal form last season.
“With a swap deal involving Paul Pogba currently being touted, United ought to consider sanctioning this particular move as the arrival of the Portugal international would turn them into title contenders overnight.
“Whereas Pogba has only been able to deliver the goods on a sporadic basis during his time at Old Trafford, Ronaldo’s outstanding consistency saw him average a better WhoScored match rating (7.61 compared to 7.06) than the Frenchman during the previous campaign.
“If United are looking to end their wait for a Premier League title next season, a move for Ronaldo is surely a no-brainer as he is a proven winner who is still more than capable of changing a game in an instant.”
Christy Malyan
"I'm not sure Manchester United need Paul Pogba or an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo next season but if I had to pick one of the two, I'd go with the latter. The fact Pogba has finished the season playing on the wing tells you all you need to know - unless you stick him next to the best central midfield partner anyone could ask for in France accomplice N'Golo Kante, then he just doesn't work as part of a functional engine room.
"I have my doubts over where exactly Ronaldo would fit into United's starting XI as well but ultimately, the Juventus forward's scoring record speaks for itself with an incredible 36 for his club in 20/21. Considering Bruno Fernandes was the only Red Devils star who got anywhere close to the 20-goal mark in the Premier League this term, Ronaldo probably addresses a bigger need than Pogba who, for all his quality and many seasons at Old Trafford, remains something of an ill-fitting luxury."
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