Cristiano Ronaldo’s camp rubbishes rumour of superstar being offered to Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo’s camp has denied claims of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner being offered to Barcelona by current club Juventus.

Prior reports noted the player was looking to leave I Bianconeri this summer following the club’s exit from the Champions League, courtesy of a 2-2 aggregate draw with French side Lyon. Maurizio Sarri has since been fired, with the club’s former midfielder Andrea Pirlo stepping up in his place.

Lyon have UCL favourites Manchester City up next and are 11/1 to win that matchup with bookmakers William Hill, who are offering 24/100 on Pep Guardiola’s team following their progression past Real Madrid. The French outfit are 66/1 to lift the trophy with Paddy Power but you could take up the 2/1 odds being offered on favourites Man City. If perhaps you’re new to sports betting, you would do well to check out the betting offers and sign up offers at freebets.com.

As for Ronaldo, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claims the attacker has been offered to a number of clubs as Juventus wants to reduce its wage bill.

"The reason why Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked to PSG is not so much that PSG are thinking of getting him, it is because Jorge Mendes has been given instructions to find a team for Ronaldo," Balague told BBC Radio 5 Live (H/T The Mirror).

"We've seen this in the last six months, he was linked to Real Madrid. They said no chance, he's not coming back. And there's been talks about the MLS because Juventus want to get rid of that wage.

"It is as drastic as that. He's been offered everywhere, including Barcelona."

According to Spanish publication AS, however, Balague’s claim is unfounded.

“Those close to the Portugal captain have confirmed to AS that any talk of a move to Barça is pure speculation, describing the rumours as “completely false,” their report reads.

It adds, “those consulted by AS say that Ronaldo and his family are very happy in Turin and he has no intention of leaving Juventus for Barcelona or any other club.”

Ronaldo teaming up with Lionel Messi does seem like one of the most unlikely prospects in world football at the moment, but Balague’s statement is unlikely to have come from thin air.

Meanwhile, the Catalan side are among the favourites to win the Champions League this year, with Bet365 offering 8/1 odds to that end and those will likely shorten if they get past German powerhouse Bayern Munich on Friday. Messi’s team are 5/2 for a win with 888sport while the Bavarians (3/1 to win it all) are 19/20 with Betfair.

Paris Saint-Germain are the second favourites following their emphatic come-from-behind win over Atalanta on Wednesday and are 5/2 with Betfred. Said bookies have a PSG/Man City final as the most likely at 11/5. PSG/Bayern Munich is at 10/3 while PSG/Barcelona is at 6/1. You could also grab a winner double special from Betfair or Paddy Power, with a Man City-Barca outright win at 6/4 with both of the aforementioned bookies.

Image credit: Cristiano Ronaldo by Oleg Dubyna / CC BY 3.0