Juventus director Federico Cherubini admits Manchester City didn’t want to pay a penny to sign Cristiano Ronaldo: ‘Manchester United behaved differently.’
Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in a €15m deal from Juventus plus €8m add-ons.
The Portuguese had star scored 101 goals in 134 games over three seasons with the Bianconeri but made it clear to the club’s representatives that he wanted to leave less than a week before the end of the summer transfer window.
Manchester City opened talks with his agent Jorge Mendes but were not able to reach an agreement with the Serie A giants as they didn’t want to pay a penny to sign CR7.
“There weren’t the right conditions to do so,” Juventus director Federico Cherubini told Tuttosport.
“Manchester United behaved differently, as a club with tradition. There couldn’t be a different end, given the way Ronaldo had spoken to us. We couldn’t force a player to stay in a context that he didn’t recognize anymore.
“We respect Ronaldo, but I share the same view as our President: ‘Juventus’ history is made by great champions, coaches and directors, but the club remains the most important thing.”
Ronaldo’s sale affected Juventus finances as the Old Lady will lose €14m in the 2021-22 campaign.
“I must say that sometimes in the past, we had to pay to part ways with some players,” the Old Lady’s director said.
“In this case, with other clubs, we wouldn’t be able to get anything at all.”
However, Cherubini insisted Juventus didn’t expect Ronaldo’s exit until the very last week of the summer transfer window.
“The week before the game against Udine, we were sure he would have stayed,” Cherubini said.
“I don’t want to be hypocritical and say that it was nice to manage this situation on August 28. Everybody would have been happier to handle something similar a month earlier.
“The only risk is that a player like Kean may not have been available at that point, not all the players are waiting until August 31 to know if Ronaldo will stay or leave.
“It’s impossible to replace Ronaldo,” Cherubini continued.
“We anticipated the future by signing Kean, but it’s a signal for future generations. We brought an academy product back home. Here at Juventus, there is space for players coming from the youth sector.
“It’s true that he had been sold two years ago, but it was for an important fee for a guy who was only 19 at that time.
“Today he returns to Juventus as a different and grown player. He has so much room for improvement.”