Cristiano Ronaldo 'Personally Called' A Barcelona Star Asking Him To Join Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo personally called a Barcelona star asking him to join Juventus in the summer of 2019.

The former Real Madrid man swapped the La Liga for Serie A in 2018 in a transfer worth a reported £88 million.

And he was hoping a Barca player would have followed in his footsteps to play in Italy's top flight, until a potential deal was scuppered due to a hefty price tag.

Image: PA

Well, that's according to Ivan Rakitic who claims the Portuguese phenom asked him to join the Italian giants in 2019.

Though he goes onto say that a move never came to fruition because Barca were demanding £43 million.

Image: PA

Speaking to 24sata via Football Italia, he revealed: "In the summer of 2019, Cristiano called me personally to suggest I go to Juve.

"He told me that the club wanted me too, but the transfer didn't go through. Barcelona were asking for €50m and it was too much."

Of course, Rakitic stayed at the Camp Nou for one more season before returning to Sevilla in 2020.

Despite not linking up with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, the Croatian spoke highly of the 36-year-old.

He added: "Ronaldo is one of the greatest of all time. You really enjoy watching him and what he's doing at Juventus."

Topics: Football News, Football, Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic, Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Darren Till, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

@https://twitter.com/NasJabbar