Cristiano Ronaldo handed two-year suspended prison sentence after agreeing £17m fine over tax charges

In Spain, a judge can suspend sentences for two years or less for first-time offenders

Cristiano Ronaldo has been handed a two-year suspended prison sentence after agreeing to pay a fine of close to £17m over tax charges.

Ronaldo had already reached a tentative deal with the state prosecutor's office, but Spain's tax authorities had yet to sign off on the agreement.

A source with knowledge of the deal confirmed on Thursday the agreement will be finalized in the coming days.

In Spain, a judge can suspend sentences for two years or less for first-time offenders.

Last year, a Spanish state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 worth £13m. The prosecutor accused the Portugal forward of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights. The accusation does not involve his salary from his former Real Madrid club.

Ronaldo denied any wrongdoing when questioned by a judge last July.

In 2016, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi received a suspended 21-month jail sentence after being found guilty of defrauding tax authorities of 4.1 million euros (then $4.6 million).

Meanwhile, Ronaldo will start his Serie A career with Juventus at Chievo.

The Portugal forward became Juve's club record signing last month when he joined from Real Madrid for £99.2million.

And Thursday's announcement of the opening round of Italian top flight fixtures sees him head to the Stadio Bentegodi for the champions' first match of the 2018/19 campaign, on the weekend of August 18-19.

AP