Manchester United Have Agreed Deal To Sign Cristiano Ronaldo From Juventus

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus.

The 36-year-old is set to return to Old Trafford 12 years after leaving for Real Madrid.

In a statement, Manchester United said: "Manchester United is delighted to confirm that the club has reached agreement with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, subject to agreement of personal terms, visa and medical.

"Cristiano, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has so far won over 30 major trophies during his career, including five UEFA Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and the European Championship for his native Portugal.

"In his first spell for Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games.

"Everyone at the club looks forward to welcoming Cristiano back to Manchester."

The news comes following enormous speculation about the star's future, and earlier today (Friday 27 August), it looked as though the Man Utd legend could be headed to rivals Manchester City.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, CR7 is now returning to the club where he rose to prominence and established a reputation as one of the best footballers on the planet.

PA

It's unclear at this stage how exactly this has come about, in what must be one of the most dramatic days in football transfer history. It's also unclear how much United have agreed to pay for Ronaldo - though the initial fee is reportedly around €20m (£17.13).

The prospect of Ronaldo re-signing for United gathered momentum earlier today after manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer held a press conference in which he said their former star 'knows that we're here'.

Solskjaer added that United midfielder Bruno Fernandes has been talking to his compatriot Ronaldo.

PA

Asked why Ronaldo was supposedly headed to the Etihad instead of Old Trafford, Solskjaer said: "I didn't think Cristiano was going to turn out leaving Juventus.

"It's been speculation this morning, speculation the last few days, of course. We've always had a good communication - I know Bruno (Fernandes) has been talking to him as well. He knows what we feel about him and if he was ever going to move away from Juventus, he knows that we're here.

"He's such a tremendous human being as well, so let's see what happens with Cristiano. Everyone who has played with him, I think, has a soft spot for him."

Topics: SPORT, Football, Cristiano Ronaldo

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey