Cristiano Ronaldo asks to be sold after deciding to leave Juventus with Manchester City in talks

Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to be sold by Juventus after deciding to leave the club, with Manchester City favourites to sign the striker.

According to Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo is set to leave Juve this summer after making the request, and the Serie A side are now waiting for the Manchester outfit to make an official bid.

Juventus are understood to want to sell Ronaldo and remove his massive wages from the accounts – the club pay Ronaldo £500,000 a week, plus tax, but they are also looking for a transfer fee for their star player, thought to be around £25m.

Ronaldo started Juve´s season opener against Udinese on the bench by his own request as he sought a move away from the club. Manchester City, having already spent £100m on Jack Grealish this summer, are ready to throw their financial weight around again in a deal that would cost them £12.8m-a-season should Ronaldo sign a two-year contract.

In a move that seems to benefit both clubs, it is Manchester United fans who may feel most aggrieved that a club legend such as Ronaldo is on the verge of joining fierce rivals Manchester City. Should he make the move, he will be set to face off against Paris Saint-Germain´s Lionel Messi in the Champions League after the two clubs were drawn in the same group.