2018-19 Champions League Odds Released After Cristiano Ronaldo's Transfer

Barcelona have been named favourites to win the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League amid news holders Real Madrid are selling star forward Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

Barca and Premier League champions Manchester City lead the way, while Real are joint-third with Bayern Munich, and Juve are sixth favourites, per Bovada (h/t OddsShark):

Ronaldo's move was confirmed by Real on Tuesday, with BBC Sport pricing the deal at £99.2 million (€112 million).

Juve confirmed on the club's official website that Ronaldo has signed a four-year contract.

Juventus' relatively lowly status with oddsmakers is surprising since the Serie A giants have added a player who has owned this competition in recent seasons.

Ronaldo has lifted the trophy five times, four with Real, including the last three seasons. The 33-year-old has made a habit of scoring in the tournament's biggest games and tallied three goals over both legs of a dramatic quarter-final win over Juve this past year.

The Bianconeri can feel emboldened about their chances of winning the Champions League for the first time since 1996 with Real's all-time leading goalscorer officially on the books.

No attacker can match Ronaldo's knack for finding the net at the highest level:

Juve will be glad the deal is done, not only because they have secured arguably the best player on the planet. They have also acquired the services of a forward who has routinely tormented the Serie A giants in Europe's premier club competition:

Among Ronaldo's goals against Juve last season was a spectacular overhead kick in the first leg that even drew cheers from the Bianconeri faithful.

Losing Ronaldo leaves a sizeable hole in Real's forward line, although some believe the club will have no trouble filling it:

Yet until Los Merengues secure another Galactico to replace Ronaldo, there will naturally be doubts about the club's ability to win a fourth Champions League trophy in a row.

The sheer number of goals he accounted for at this level will surely be missed:

By contrast, Barca promise a level of continuity, thanks to the ongoing presence and brilliance of strike partners Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.