How Much Cristiano Ronaldo Would Cost if a Premier League Team Wanted to Sign Him?
How much would it cost an English club to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Premier League? A question that has arisen quite prominently since his comments last week - where he reportedly told the Spanish court that he wishes to return to the British Isles.
Ronaldo is currently being investigated for tax fraud regarding his image rights income - where it is believed that the former Manchester United attacker has sneaked a cheeky £13m behind the backs of the Spanish tax authority - but now admits that he never had such problems in England, which is why he wants to return:
Image by Matt Barnes
"In England, I never had these problems, that's why I want to go back there. I always paid my taxes, always," he told the court - according to the Mirror.
"In England and in Spain. And I always paid. As you know, I can not hide anything, it would be ridiculous on my part to do such a thing."
So, how much would the Portuguese forward cost a team nowadays?
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It's important to consider the variables. In 2015, Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes claimed that his client would be available for £300m - which two years later, is still a ridiculous sum of money regardless of the inflation that the transfer market has undergone in that time.
Having seen Neymar join PSG for around £198m, Ronaldo would surely cost less - he's seven years senior to the 25-year-old Neymar, and has little time on his side, though his ability is unquestionable.
To buy Ronaldo out of his contract would cost a mere €1b, but anyone willing to do that would be out of their minds. The 32-year-old was quoted earlier in the summer to cost around £130m for any suitor, and given that Philippe Coutinho is expected to join Barcelona for £100m - it wouldn't be too outrageous.
