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Real Madrid's all-time top scorer, the UEFA Champions League all-time top scorer and 5 times Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has moved from La Liga to Juventus in the Serie A in a deal worth 112M Euros, an official statement by Real Madrid on social media said.
With the Portuguese star set to move to the Italian champions, there are a lot of changes that will be ushered in both at Real Madrid and Juventus themselves but also potentially the rest of Europe's elite as well, with Real Madrid looking to fill the gap left by their departing talisman.
Here are the possible implications this mega-transfer may have for both parties involved and also various others.
3. Paulo Dybala
It is believed that Juventus have reportedly been planning to sell some of their other prized assets to make way for Ronaldo, both physically and more importantly, monetarily. With a couple of names in the mix, the one that has gathered the most traction so far has been Argentine starlet Paulo Dybala, who was up for a transfer to the Premier League, with sides like Liverpool and Manchester United named among possible suitors, in the case of Ronaldo's transfer going through. With Ronaldo's transfer recently finalised, it is yet to be seen if Paulo Dybala is destined to grace the Premier League next season.
If a transfer does eventually go through, it looks increasingly likely that Liverpool will be the Argentine's destination, with Liverpool having contact with Gustavo Mascardi, who is historically close to Dybala. Scoring 26 goals last season for the Old Lady and still only 24, if Ronaldo's arrival spells trouble for Dybala's chances, which it probably will, it will be in the best interest of the 24-year-old to move to another top club where he gets regular playing time, and with stats like his, any club that eventually manages to secure his signature in the event of a possible exit from Juventus will be getting themselves a proven goalscorer and one of the leading talents in World Football.
2. Isco, Asensio and Bale
With Bale hinting at an exit after the Champions League final in Kiev, and Isco and Marco Asensio also reportedly unhappy, the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly opens up a window to cement their place in the starting lineup for these 3. With the Portuguese forward often the one to get the 'free-role' so to say, a role which Isco and Asensio have previously done very well in previously, the Spanish duo will look at the move as an opportunity to get back their natural position in the team. For Gareth Bale, also on the fringes due to a lack of playing time, the move may allow him to become the main man for the club, if he does manage to stay fit.
With former Spanish National Team coach Julen Lopetegui coming in to take over the reigns, Isco and Asensio will be looking forward to the new season with anticipation, with the Lopetegui himself a keen admirer of their play-styles. As for Bale, he does not have the bond that the aforementioned 2 have with the new coach, but the Welshman currently has his head firmly in Madrid, with Florentino Perez a strong believer that, despite the persisting injury issues, the Welshman will come good. Coming off a superb end to the previous season, putting in great performances in the league and capping it off with a stunning overhead kick in the Champions League final against Liverpool, Bale will come into the new season with renewed hope.
3. Hazard, Neymar and Mbappe
With the departure of Ronaldo, Real Madrid now have 2 options, look for a replacement within the team and build on that, or look for another 'galactico' on the transfer market to fill the massive void left by the departure of their all-time top scorer. Knowing Florentino Perez and Real Madrid, they will most probably choose option 2.
With a lot of names linked with the Madrid club since a few months now, the ones that gathered the most traction were Hazard, Neymar and Mbappe. There were rumours that in past seasons Ronaldo had said that he would continue to stay with the promise that none of these players was bought in so as to maintain his position as an undisputed starter. But, with him now out of the picture, both the club and these 3 players have the golden opportunity to make the switch.
With Mbappe putting in brilliant performances at the World Cup for France and still only 19, and Neymar having been a target for Perez for a long time now, there is a high, high possibility that the Real Madrid President breaks the bank and brings in either of the 2, but negotiating with PSG for any of their star players has proven to be extremely difficult, so take that possibility with a pinch of salt. The most realistic possibility so-far, though, looks to be Eden Hazard from Chelsea. The Belgian is comparatively more experienced than the other 2 and his transfer will surely be less of a pain to negotiate for the Real Madrid boardroom.
