Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have agreed to a transfer from Real Madrid to Serie A champions Juventus Football Club S.p.A. Ronaldo’s contract maintains a release clause enabling him to leave Los Blancos (not for a direct rival) if a “reasonable offer” were to be obtained; Juventus has reportedly submitted a bid worth +/- $117 million (could end up as high as $140.5 million) for the Portuguese star. Should the transfer be completed, Juve will pay Ronaldo +/- $35 million/year through ’22. It’s expected that the UEFA Champions League champions will look to replace Ronaldo with Brazilian star Neymar.
Howie Long-Short: Ronaldo’s pending departure from Spain is as much about him feeling slighted by Real Madrid during his case with the Spanish tax authorities (he’s since settled for $22 million) as it is about his desire to dominate another one of Europe’s top divisions. While there are annual rumors of a return to Manchester United (or PSG), it appears the discussions this time around are for real.
Word first broke that the 5x Ballon d’Or winner could be headed to Juventus on Tuesday. Since July 3rd shares of publicly traded Juventus (OTC: JVTSF) have skyrocketed +18%; closing at $.98 on Thursday. The increase places the value of the franchise at $964.5 million.
In February, JVTSF reported half-yearly financials for the first half of 2017-2018. The franchise posted profits of +/- $50 million. Unlike publicly traded American pro franchises, JVTSF revenues/profits are “strongly influenced by the performance of sports results and in particular the UEFA Champions League”. This past season the club reached the Champions League quarterfinals, before losing to Real Madrid.
Fan Marino: Should the deal go through, it’s possible Ronaldo will appear against his current squad on American soil. Real Madrid is scheduled to play Juventus in the International Champions Cup in Washington D.C. on August 7th.
There may be a few other opportunities to see Ronaldo in the U.S. this summer. Juventus will make appearances in both Philadelphia (7.25.18, vs. FC Bayern) and Harrison, NJ (7.28.18, vs. Benfica); and will take on the MLS all-stars in New Orleans on August 1st.
Interested in Sports Business? Sign-up for our free daily email newsletter list, here!
