Cristiano Ronaldo has one foot and a half out of Manchester United. The relationship with coach ten Hag is broken and, given the worrying lack of minutes, the striker will seek to leave in the winter market.
Chelsea sounds like a possible destination but it is not the only one interested in the player. According to the English newspaper ‘The Sun’, Napoli appears as a solid candidate to take the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to Italy.
Napoli is very interested
During the summer transfer window, there was talk of a possible move for Cristiano to Napoli. However, there were never any talks between the two clubs and the striker had to stay in England. But now the interest reappears, according to people close to the player. His signing would mark a return to Serie A, where he played three seasons with Juventus, historic rivals of the southern Italian side.
What about payment?
Napoli says he would be an important addition to a club that leads Serie A and looks like a solid team to win the ‘scudetto’. However, there is the money situation. The player of the Italian club who earns the most per week is the Polish Zielinski (102 thousand euros). Meanwhile, Cristiano’s weekly salary with United is 411 thousand euros. An abysmal difference that the club cannot reach.
Would Cristiano Ronaldo reduce his salary?
Therefore, the directors would expect a significant salary reduction from Cristiano, something that ‘The Sun’ ensures that it can be negotiated. The Portuguese understand that if he wants to change teams, his financial expectations will have to be lowered. At 37 years old, it is difficult for a European club to bet on giving him a salary similar to the one he has now with United.
A strong team
Napoli is one of the main surprises in Europe this season. They lead Serie A undefeated, with 29 points out of a possible 33 so far. They also lead their Champions League group, ahead of Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers. With 17 goals, they are the highest-scoring team in the tournament. They have a goal difference of +13, also the best in the continental competition.