Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become the highest-paid player in Premier League history, following his shock return to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.
The 36-year-old seemed nailed on to join rivals Manchester City after announcing his intention to leave Juventus, but the Red Devils hijacked the deal at the last second to bring the former fan favourite back to Old Trafford.
Welcome ????, @Cristiano ?#MUFC | #Ronaldo
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 27, 2021
In doing so, Ronaldo will now become the highest earner the Premier League has ever seen, reports The Telegraph. The forward will earn in excess of former Red Devil Alexis Sanchez's £560,000-a-week contract, when taking into account bonuses and image rights.
The Portuguese star's two-year contract, with an option for an extra year, also eclipses Raphael Varane's £400,000-a-week agreement, which had seen him briefly become the highest earner in the top flight.
However, Ronaldo will still earn considerably less than fellow football icon Lionel Messi, who penned a mind-blowing £1m-a-week deal when joining Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona this summer.
Man Utd's out of the blue swoop to re-sign Ronaldo has stunned the football world after they agreed to offer Juventus an initial £12.85m, which could rise to a potential £19.7m transfer fee in bonuses and add-ons.
The former Real Madrid star was signed by the Bianconeri for €100m in 2018, with the aim of ending their Champions League drought by recruiting the king of the European competition. The plan ultimately failed as Juve never got close to lifting the big trophy.
Ronaldo won two Serie A titles during his three years in Italy, but he became disenchanted with the project towards the end of his time there and informed Massimiliano Allegri of his desire for a new challenge.
Juve were willing to sell the superstar, as they didn't want to hold onto an unhappy player who was burning a €31m-a-year hole in their wage bill. Man City were set to shock the world by bringing the former Red Devil back to Manchester, but the Glazer family decided to hijack the move at the last second.
Man Utd had been presented with the opportunity to sign Ronaldo earlier in the summer but rejected the prospect in order to focus on their main targets, but the thought of him joining their rivals forced the Glazers' hand.
Source : 90min