Manchester City pull out of deal to sign Cristiano Ronaldo

The deal had been touted as the Portuguese star forces a move from Juventus

Manchester City have reportedly decided against signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has said on Twitter. Ronaldo, a legend at City's arch-rivals United, had been linked with a move to Pep Guardiola's side, due in part to his own desire to leave Juventus after a mostly unsuccessful spell in Italy, and partly due to City's need for a centre-forward, after the departure of Sergio Aguero of Barcelona, and Tottenham's refusal to negotiate over the sale of Harry Kane. According to Romano, no direct negotiations regarding salary or transfer fee had taken place. City's decision now leaves the door open for United to step in and sign their former superstar, who left the club in 2009 to join Real Madrid. https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1431248252968505346 Ronaldo remains a popular figure at Old Trafford and has regular been linked with a move back, often indulging those links in what many consider has been multiple savvy and successful attempts to get a pay rise during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu. The idea of him joining City left many supporters apoplectic, with words like 'traitor' being bandied about in a manner that is probably a bit too carefree. Alas, it now looks like he may well be coming 'home', with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appearing to suggest that the club were in talks for him, something hinted at earlier on Friday by Ronaldo's former teammate Rio Ferdinand.