Cristiano Ronaldo has completed a sensational £99.2 million move to Juventus, a move which could send ripples into the boardrooms of clubs far and wide around Europe.
While Italian football was once the place to be for the games biggest names back in the ’90s, the big money imports into Italy have dried up in more recent years.
While the likes of AC Milan and Inter Milan have fallen on more difficult financial times in recent years, Juventus have taken a stranglehold on Italian football, but the signing of a true global superstar is a huge coup not only for Il Bianconeri, but for the whole of Italian football.
However, the effects of Ronaldo’s mega-money move to Turin could have a huge impact on the transfer plans of clubs here in the Premier League.
While Juventus are quite clearly the most affluent club in Italy, they still can’t hold a candle to plenty of clubs, and could have to put some other deals on hold and even sell players to be able to fully fund the Ronaldo deal, with the Portuguese superstar also said to be on around £30 million-a-year.
One club who could be affected is Manchester United, who are said to be rivalling the Serie A champions for the services of midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio. Lazio are thought to be demanding a fee of around £100 million for the Serbian midfielder, which could give United a boost in their hopes of signing him if Juve decide they simply can’t afford it.
Another player who has been linked with a move to Juventus in recent months is United winger Anthony Martial, although with the Frenchman playing in a similar position to the £99 million man Ronaldo, a move to Turin now seems highly unlikely.
Martial has however been linked with moves to fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham and Chelsea, and while United are thought to be reluctant to sell to a domestic rival, Ronaldo’s move to Juventus could actually make a move to Chelsea more likely.
Blues winger Eden Hazard has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid for a number of years, and with a huge gaping hole now left in Los Blancos attacking lineup, the Belgian will certainly not have done his chances of a move to the Bernabeu any harm after his impressive performances at this summer’s World Cup in Russia, leaving a potential space in the squad, and cash in the bank to splash on Martial.
Meanwhile, if Juventus decide they need to sell a player or two in order to fund Ronaldo’s transfer, that could also prove to be positive news for Premier League clubs.
Liverpool have been linked with a move for Juventus playmaker Paulo Dybala in recent days, while Chelsea are also thought to be interested striker Gonzalo Higuain, despite the pair’s disappointing World Cup campaign with Argentina.
While a lot of paper talk is just that, and with just over a month until the English transfer window closes, it seems as though Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Serie A could certainly have big effects here in the Premier League.
