Cristiano Ronaldo could be a Manchester City player within a matter of days.

As crazy as that prospect might sound, everything is pointing towards the former Manchester United man moving to the Etihad Stadium as he edges gradually closer to a Juventus exit.

Fabrizio Romano even reported on Friday morning that Ronaldo had left Juventus' training ground after just 40 minutes having said goodbye to his teammates in anticipation of a bid from City.

Ronaldo to Man City!?!?

It truly is a remarkable set of circumstances that could see Ronaldo return to the Premier League with arguably the biggest rivals of the club at which he first made his name in English football.

As a result, fans are genuinely having to get their head around the prospect of arguably the greatest footballer to have ever lived returning to England out of the blue - pun intended.

And given that City are already being tipped by many fans to retain the Premier League title this season, it's scary to think how strong Pep Guardiola's squad will be with Ronaldo leading the line. 

Major Manchester United Update (Football Terrace)

How Man City can deploy Ronaldo

Here at GIVEMESPORT, we have already drawn up the staggering starting XI that City might field with Ronaldo in their team, but now it's time to take a more tactical look at the situation.

Besides, with some corners of the footballing world arguing that Ronaldo would actually be a poor fit at the Etihad, it's important to further inspect how the Portuguese might be used by Guardiola.

As such, we have tried to get into the mind of the City boss himself and constructed four ways that the Citizens could line up with Ronaldo this season from the realistic to the truly outside of the box.

Four ways Man City can line up with Ronaldo

It's impossible to call exactly how Ronaldo might factor in Guardiola's plans if he does sign, but we've given it our best shot, so be sure to check out the potential options down below:

1. Ronaldo as a number nine

Let's face it, this is by far the most likely scenario on the back of City missing out on Harry Kane and Gabriel Jesus hardly being the type of striker who challenges of the Premier League Golden Boot.

It seems inevitable that Ronaldo will be used as a focal point of the City attack with an abundance of fluid and technical midfield players feeding him with an array of balls into the box.

2. Ronaldo out on the left

Given that Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling are all top contenders on City's left flank, it's admittedly hard to imagine that Ronaldo would reprise the role of his United days.

Nevertheless, make no mistake that Ronaldo would still terrorise Premier League right-backs out wide, so it's definitely an option if Guardiola wanted to mix up his front three mid-game.

3. Ronaldo and Jesus playing together

Again, perhaps more of an in-game tweak as opposed to a starting tactic, but there's no denying that City's riches in the centre-back position gives them the luxury of playing three at the back.

If Guardiola decides to roll the dice accordingly, we could see an unlikely strike partnership between Ronaldo and Jesus, which could be devastatingly effective against teams lower down the table.

4. De Bruyne playing behind Ronaldo

A minor tweak from option number one, but just imagine the prospect of Kevin De Bruyne and Ronaldo striking up a similar relationship to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres at Liverpool.

With one of the world's best number nines receiving a constant supply of passes from the Premier League's creator in chief, there's real potential for City to romp their way to more than 90 points.

So many options for Man City

Regardless of which formation you think that Guardiola might play in a world where they sign Ronaldo, there can be no denying that it would give City an embarrassment of riches.

Yes, Ronaldo might not press, defend and swiftly pass as much as Guardiola might like but at the end of the day, you can only go so far wrong with a living legend in your dressing room.

ENTER GIVEAWAY

So, strap yourselves in, ladies and gentlemen, because we could be set for an earth-shattering climax to a summer transfer window that could send huge ripples through the Premier League.