Madrid/Turin, July 6 (IANS): Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes added fuel to the speculation surrounding the Portuguese star's move from Real Madrid to Juventus, saying that his client is ready for a "new challenge".
"If Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Real Madrid, he'll be eternally grateful to the club, the President, the medical staff & all the Madrid fans in the world. If that happens, it would be for a brilliant new chapter in his career," Spanish publication Marca quoted Mendes as saying on Friday.
Mendes who had a meeting with Madrid's vice president José Ángel Sánchez, is yet to give final confirmation of the move which is speculated to be valued at 100 million euros.
Ronaldo's absence from Real Madrid team photo in their home jersey, which was released on Thursday, has also given an indication of his departure from the reigning European champions.
Ronaldo's future at Real Madrid was doubtful since the Champions League final against Liverpool in May when the star forward stated: "It was very nice to be at Madrid".
The third highest earning sportsman in the world with an estimated annual income in excess of 100 million Euros, Ronaldo's relation with the Real Madrid management started turning cold when
his release clause was drastically reduced to 100 million euros from 1000 million.
With Neymar commanding a jaw-dropping amount of 222 million Euros during his move to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the reduction of his release clause amount no doubt hurt Ronaldo's ego.
According to the Guardian, Ronaldo has already met Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and indicated his desire to move to Italy.
Juventus, who have won the Serie A seven consecutive times, have reportedly offered 100 million Euros to Real Madrid for the move.
