Ronaldo’s last waltz: Returns to Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of sealing a sensational return to his former club Manchester United. United were in the race to bring Ronaldo back after rivals Manchester City lost interest in the Juventus forward.

Ronaldo’s agent was negotiating with City after the Portugal star decided to leave Juventus, but it emerged on Friday afternoon that Pep Guardiola's side will not sign him.

Ronaldo told his Juventus team-mates earlier in the day that he is leaving; his boss Max Allegri confirmed his imminent exit from the club. Reports in Italy suggest United will pay Juventus the £21.4million fee they wanted from City, with a two-year contract on the table for Ronaldo of around £480,000 per week.

Ronaldo lost his enthusiasm for staying with Juventus after their elimination from the Champions League last season.

He began leading a separate life than his team-mates, creating an irremediable break in his relationship with the squad, online reports said. Ronaldo's farewell to his team-mates was said to be rather emotionless because his only close friend at the club was the third-choice goalkeeper. The 36-year-old wants to carry on playing at the highest level for as long as possible, but not everyone at City was convinced the former Manchester United player is what they need. Ronaldo joined Juventus after he crossed over from Real Madrid in 2018 for a fee in the region of £105m and he scored 101 goals in 134 games for the club, helping them to two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia crown and two Italian Super Cups.

‘‘Ronaldo is a legend of the club, and the greatest player of all time, if you ask me,’ said the United boss. ‘‘I was fortunate to play with him and coach him. Everyone who has played with him has a soft spot for him.’’