Cristiano Ronaldo 'broke' transfer pact with Juventus to seal Man Utd return

Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly broke a 'pact' with Juventus to force through his return to Manchester United last month.

The Portuguese forward, 36, was expected to see out the final year of his contract in Turin, but suddenly completed a shock return to Old Trafford on transfer deadline day.

His agent, Jorge Mendes, had been working on getting his client out of the Stadio delle Alpi in the weeks leading up to his switch - something that appears to have gone against a prior agreement he made with Juve chiefs.

According to Cadena Ser, Mendes had agreed a deal for Ronaldo to move elsewhere could only be followed through if everything was finalised by August 15 - over two weeks before the window shut.

Cristiano Ronaldo is said to have put pressure on his exit despite an agreement with Juventus ( Image:

Getty Images)

Juventus ' stance was due to their belief that finding a replacement for their top goalscorer would be impossible after that date.

Once that had passed, Juve were under the impression their frontman would be staying, with even boss Massimiliano Allegri stating: "He has never wanted to leave. He told me that he's staying and he will be in Udine."

However, it was Juventus' 2-2 draw with Udinese the following day which is said to have prompted Ronaldo to apply pressure on the club to move him on.

And while Ronaldo may have broken his supposed agreement with his employers, the reports from Spain do not take into account Juventus' perilous financial situation at the time.

In reality, the Serie A giants were desperate to get Ronaldo's extortionate wages off their books.

The fact they could also attract a transfer fee this summer rather than losing him for nothing in 2022 also appealed.

Juventus had recorded a loss of £179million across the 2020/21 season, while their club debt rose a further £3.4m, taking their total to £332m.

Given Ronaldo's annual salary stood at £28m, it's not difficult to conceive why club chiefs were willing to sanction his departure after their agreed deadline.

Manchester United also managed to structure a deal worth a guaranteed £12.8m, but paid in five installments, giving Juventus little to work with in terms of immediate reinvestment in their squad.

Juve did move to re-sign Moise Kean after his failed spell at Everton, though that was little consolation for boss Allegri, whose decision to bench Ronaldo for the Udinese clash came after the superstar told him he had no intention of continuing at the club.

Since the transfer has gone through, Ronaldo has made an instant impact back at United, though Juventus have struggled in his absence.

Two draws and two defeats in their opening four matches leaves the Old Lady sat currently 18th in Serie A, with Allegri furiously losing his temper at his players as they marched down the tunnel after their clash with AC Milan finished 1-1.

"F*** sake! You are playing for Juventus," he barked on the touchline video which has now gone viral.