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Napoli Were ‘Offered’ The Chance To Sign Cristiano Ronaldo From Real Madrid

Napoli Were ‘Offered’ The Chance To Sign Cristiano Ronaldo From Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has made a brilliant start at Juventus. However, Napoli were reportedly offered the chance to sign him from Real Madrid.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed all of the major headlines in the summer of 2018 after he completed his move from Real Madrid to Juventus.

However, Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has revealed that they had the opportunity to sign the former Manchester United star.

"He was offered to us, it's true," he told Sky (via Football Italia).

"We have a good relationship with [agent Jorge] Mendes, and since [Faouzi] Ghoulam's renewal we speak often.

"He offered him to De Laurentiis and to me, I stayed silent. Then when we looked deeper into it we realised it was a deal that was out of reach.

PA

"Juventus? At the moment they're the best team in Europe, so it'd be a dream to finish ahead of them. It's something very difficult, but we must and want to believe."

I Partenopei are not the only Italian club to have had the chance to sign the 33-year-old Portugal international.

In fact, former AC Milan sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli said that the club were also interested in Ronaldo.

"I confirm what I said, that there was the possibility of signing Cristiano Ronaldo," he said.

PA

"We weren't kidding ourselves: I can assure you that if the current owners had been in charge at the time, at this precise moment Cristiano Ronaldo would be wearing the Milan jersey. I can mathematically guarantee it.

"He didn't mind not playing in the Champions League. He told us: 'I've never won the Europa League, so I'll win that, too.'

"I sat down with his agent [Jorge Mendes] and my part of the deal was finished, everything had been defined, including the salary and the price of the transfer.

PA

"I had no fear of anything going wrong, because when Silvio Berlusconi sold Milan to the Chinese group, he told us of a great man, with great lawyers and great banks behind him.

"Berlusconi said they would be able to do for Milan what he no longer could."

Ronaldo has been in brilliant form since his move to the Old Lady last summer. The former Real Madrid talisman signed off the 2018 calendar year as the top scorer for Los Blancos and finished second highest for Juve.

How many titles will Ronaldo win in his first season at Juventus?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Serie A, Juventus, Jorge Mendes, Napoli, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid