New Cristiano Ronaldo contract ‘not on agenda’ amid exit talk, says Juventus chief
Old Lady sporting director Luca Paratici claims Ronaldo could be tempted to ‘end his experience’ with Juventus
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Your support makes all the difference.Juventus are not prioritising a new contract for star striker Cristiano Ronaldo who may take the decision to ‘move on to another experience’, claims Old Lady sporting director Luca Paratici.
The reigning Serie A champions are currently behind both Milan clubs in the race for the Scudetto and suffered a shock Champions League elimination at the last-16 stage to FC Porto on Tuesday night, though Portuguese forward Ronaldo has 27 goals in 32 matches this season.
But Juventus sporting director Luca Paratici claims there is plenty of time to discuss a new deal for the 36-year-old, whose contract in Turin expires in just over a year’s time.
The Juventus chief told Sky Sports Italia: “Fortunately, there’s a year left on his contract - we have time eventually to discuss it with him. Let’s just say it’s not on the agenda right now.
READ MORE: Andrea Pirlo explains Cristiano Ronaldo’s costly ‘mistake’ in Champions League
“Cristiano has his career in his hands. Always with these great players you know that when they decide to end their experience with one team and move on to another experience, it’s they who decide, and you have to respect that decision.
“We have to consider how he will feel in order to continue or not once his contract expires.”
Ronaldo joined Juventus in a £100 million deal from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 and has scored 92 goals in 121 appearances for the Serie A giants.
The Portugal international was brought to the Italian side to improve their chances of winning a first Champions League title in over 20 years, but Juventus have failed to get past the quarter-final stage in Ronaldo’s three seasons in Turin.
The 36-year-old has won Europe’s premier club competition five times as a player but could do nothing to stop Porto from taking a quarter-final spot at Juventus’ expense on Tuesday night.
Trailing 2-1 from the first-leg in Portugal, Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus fell behind early on through Sergio Oliveira’s first-half penalty, through a double from Old Lady winger Federico Chiesa forced the game into extra-time.
Oliveira’s long-range free-kick went through Ronaldo’s legs in the wall to give Porto a crucial away goal advantage, meaning Adrien Rabiot’s late goal was simply a consolation.
Ronaldo was criticised by Sky Sports Italia pundit and former Juventus manager Fabio Capello for his “unforgivable” error in letting Oliveira’s free-kick go through his body as he turned away from the ball.
Capello claimed: “In my day, you chose the players who went into the wall and they couldn’t be someone afraid of the ball.
“They (the Juventus players in the wall) were scared of the ball and jumped away from it, turning their backs. That’s unforgivable.”
READ MORE:Poetic justice sees Juventus eliminated after Andrea Agnelli turns back on football logic
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