Napoli Chairman Claims He Was Offered Cristiano Ronaldo & Reveals Why He Turned the Move Down

Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis has claimed that he was offered the opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid before he joined Juventus, but turned down the chance due to the financial implications of the move.

Speaking to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, the film producer turned chairman claimed his side were in the running to sign the Portuguese prodigy, stating: "Ronaldo had also been offered to Napoli. 

"Mendes, his attorney, called me. We formulated our offer and we would have paid Ronaldo with the percentages on the subsequent collections guaranteed by his arrival." 

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"The 350M euros that will invest Juventus are beyond our reach, we would have risked pushing the club towards bankruptcy."

Ronaldo joined Juventus last week, arriving in Turin on a €100m deal after spending nine successful seasons at Real Madrid. The former Manchester United man was rumoured to be leaving the Bernabéu for much of last season, but his move to the Serie A giants caught many off guard, with a move to Paris Saint Germain or a return to United believed to be most likely.

While Napoli failed to land the five time BalLon d'Or winner, the Serie A side will be positive of their chances in challenging Juventus for the title again this season.

While Juve have won the last seven league titles on the trot, Napoli ran Maxi Allegri's side close last season, and will be hoping that their new manager Carlo Ancelotti can provide the experience needed to succeed.

In other news, Chelsea have completed the £57m signing of Italian midfielder Jorginho from Napoli. The Brazilian born ace is renowned for his passing ability and desire to control the game, and could form a formidable partnership with 2016/17 Player of the Year N'Golo Kanté, should the Blues manage to ward off interest from Paris Saint-Germain.