Report: Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus Transfer to Be Announced Within 2 Days

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus from Real Madrid will reportedly be announced in the next 48 hours after respected Italian football journalist Gabriele Marcotti said an agreement has been reached.

Aaron Stokes of the Daily Express noted Ronaldo's transfer fee would be €100 million (£88 million), which would be a new record spend for Juve.

Stokes provided comment from ESPN FC's Marcotti, who was hopeful of a deal being completed soon:

"I was sceptical from the beginning. But it's my understanding that an agreement has been reached in principle involving Real Madrid and Ronaldo.

"Remember this was the key issue—Madrid are happy to let him go, on principle. Ronaldo is happy to go, on principle. Ronaldo agreeing terms with Juventus, on principle. 

"[...]It's my understanding that they've all agreed how they're going to do this. And there should be developments in the next 24-48 hours. So it does look this time that he is on his way to Turin."

Ronaldo sparked speculation regarding his exit from the Santiago Bernabeu after beating Liverpool 3-1 to win a third successive UEFA Champions League title with Los Blancos in May, via ESPN FC:

But talk of a move to Turin has escalated quickly over the past week, with the Bianconeri moving at great pace to secure a player who, even at 33, could revolutionise the club's direction in the years to come.

The €90 million paid to Napoli for Gonzalo Higuain's signature in July 2016 is Juve's existing record spend on one player, and football writer Arjun Pradeep added some context as to how the club will afford the deal:

The Old Lady are already beginning to see the marketing benefits of being so closely linked with a player like Ronaldo:

The Bianconeri have already won the last seven Scudetto titles in succession but promise to tighten their grip on Serie A even further if they recruit Ronaldo, who seems certain to enhance their European prospects in particular.

Juventus have finished Champions League runners-up to Spanish clubs twice in the past four seasons, losing to Barcelona in 2015 and Real in 2017, but Ronaldo's injection of class could make the difference in those fixtures.

Marcotti's suggestion of an announcement being made this week is a sign Ronaldo's move to Juve looks a lot more than the usual posturing for a new contract, and it could be this year's deal of the summer.