Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 11:05 AM• Dominic Mostert • Last update: 11:14

Cristiano Ronaldo wants to extend his contract with Juventus by one year, Tancredi Palmeri assures Wednesday morning. The 36-year-old attacker and his entourage have indicated to the club management that they are open to an extension of the cooperation, according to the sports journalist. Juventus has not yet made a decision. Ronaldo’s current contract expires in the summer of 2022.

Juventus has said ‘no yes and no no’, or so it sounds. Ronaldo earns a net 31 million euros per year; gross, Juventus annually spends 60 million euros to the star player. The main question for the club management is to what extent it is financially responsible to keep Ronaldo on board. Juventus does not yet know at what level Ronaldo will be in sixteen months, when his current contract expires. Is it still worth an annual investment of sixty million euros, is the question that sports director Fabio Paratici is struggling with. Large investments remain an issue in the midst of the uncertain corona crisis.

In the meantime, according to Palmeri, Juventus has informed its shareholders that, in the worst case scenario, a star player must leave in the summer. If the financial situation deteriorates in the coming months, a big sale is ‘not out of the question’. If that step turns out to be really necessary, the club management believes, then Matthijs de Ligt is the right man to sell. The defender is seen as ‘the only player who can bring in at least one hundred million euros’. “Not that he is worth it now, and not that such an offer has been made for him, but with his potential he is the only one who can bring in such an amount,” said Palmeri. “It is a last resort, something Juventus would rather not want.”

European Championships in England
Palmeri made the news last Thursday by claiming that next summer’s European Championship will probably take place entirely in England. England is already one of the twelve organizing countries, hosting seven matches according to the official schedule. This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the country would be able to organize more duels if one or more of the other 12 host countries were to drop out. However, UEFA continues to insist that the tournament will be hosted in 12 different countries and ensure that no other plans are made.