Zinedine Zidane has confirmed speculation that Real Madrid are interested in re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo this summer window.
Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real in 2018 for around £99m but he’s failed to win the Champions League trophy that the club desire during his three years in Turin.
While that burden should not fall only on Ronaldo’s shoulders, his signing was seen as the final piece of the jigsaw for Juve – who had finished runners-up in two of the last three years.
However, Juventus were eliminated by Porto earlier this week, raising question marks over the future of Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has just one year to run on his deal and they risk losing him on a free transfer next summer if the Italian side fail to extend his deal.
The Portugal skipper is said to be analysing his future as he’s aware that time is running out to add to his trophy, with Juve likely to miss out on the league title to Inter.
Real Madrid have missed the player since his exit and speculation was rife this week that the La Liga club could look at re-signing Ronaldo. And Zidane has confirmed the reports.
When quizzed if there’s any truth in the reports, Zidane said: ‘Yes, there may be. ‘We know Cristiano, we know the person he is and everything he has done here.
‘But now he’s a Juventus player and we must respect this. ‘Now, let’s see what the future will be. I was lucky enough to coach him and he is very impressive. Right now, he’s helping Juventus.’
Ronaldo was devastated by Juventus’ exit and the Portuguese superstar is said to be questioning his future in Turin.
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However, Andrea Pirlo says there is simply more speculation about Ronaldo because of his stature in football.
‘It’s normal that he’s disappointed, as is the whole squad,’ said Pirlo. ‘And it’s normal there be rumours after an elimination.
‘He is the most talked about footballer in the world alongside [Lionel] Messi — people are always talking about him. It’s worth reminding that he has always done well.
‘He has 90 goals in a hundred games for Juventus and has always shown his worth. It can happen that he doesn’t score in a certain match, as has happened with others, and this creates rumours.’
