What’s the story?
Real Madrid have received an offer of €300 million from a Chinese Super League side to sign Cristiano Ronaldo according to his agent, Jorge Mendes. Speaking to Sky Italia during the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, Mendes said the deal would have seen the Portugal striker earn a massive €100 million a year.
"From China, they've offered €300 million to Real Madrid and more than €100 million per year to the player," said Jorge Mendes. The transfer fee quoted by the Chinese side would have broken the transfer record and also made him the world's highest-paid player by a mile.
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"But money is not everything. Real Madrid is his life. Cristiano is happy at Real Madrid and it is impossible to go to China. The Chinese market is a new market. They can buy a lot of players but then again it is impossible to go for Ronaldo," added the agent.
In case you didn't know
Chinese Super League clubs have large sums of money to spend on players and are managing to attract several top players from around the globe.
The money offered has enticed star players like Oscar, Hulk, Alex Teixeira, Ramires, Paulinho, Gervinho, Graziano Pelle, Demba Ba, Jackson Martinez and Papiss Demba Cissé, who have rejected offers from European clubs to move to the Chinese Super League. Carlos Tevez is the latest player to join the list of top players in the Chinese League.
The Argentinian joined the Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua from Boca Juniors for a deal reported to be worth £40 million. The move also made the former Manchester United and Manchester City striker the highest-paid player in the world.
The heart of the matter
Cristiano Ronaldo had a brilliant 2016 in which he won the UEFA Champions League, EURO 2016, UEFA Best Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or and the FIFA Club World Cup. At the age of 31, many expected him to fade away and not put in performances like his previous seasons.
But, Ronaldo signed a new 5-year contract, keeping him at the club till 2020 and is still contributing handsomely to his team. The Portuguese international has made his intentions clear of remaining at the club till he retires.
PSG were ready to pounce on the chance to sign Ronaldo for a long time now but their bids have all been rejected. Real Madrid have now received a massive offer for Ronaldo but it is likely to be rejected straight away.
What next?
As for Chinese clubs trying to sign Ronaldo, it would be ideal for them to stop wasting their time on that right now. Ronaldo will not move to China and is set to remain at Real Madrid for the rest of his career. Chinese clubs might end up signing other top players but the elite group of players will never end up going there, at least until they are 35+ years of age.
Sportskeeda's take
Ronaldo moving to China is something that we will never see happening! No matter how much money they are offered, Real Madrid would eventually end up rejecting the offer. They are not looking to sell their best player as they need him at the club and will not be swayed by the crazy amounts of money thrown their way.
Also Read: 50 top players who earn less in a week than what Carlos Tevez earns in a day
Even if it comes to a situation where Real Madrid actually accept the money, Ronaldo would probably reject the move straight away. He can play at the top level for at least another 3-4 years and would not want to go to play in another continent.
