Transfers - Zinedine Zidane hints at Real Madrid interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus
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Updated 15/03/2021 at 16:03 GMT
Could Cristiano Ronaldo be set for a sensational return to Real Madrid? Ronaldo left the Spanish club in 2018 to join Juve but, with one year left on his contract, it has been reported that a return to the Bernabeu could be on the cards. Juventus look set to miss out on the Serie A title this season and are out of the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Image credit: Getty Images
Zinedine Zidane has suggested there is some truth to the reports that Cristiano Ronaldo could return to Real Madrid.
It has been reported that Juventus might look to sell Ronaldo after their crushing defeat in the last 16 of the Champions League to Porto last week – the second season in a row they have lost at this stage of the competition.
Ronaldo, who recently turned 36, is under contract with Juventus for another season, but Zidane has not ruled out the possibility of him returning to the Bernabeu, where he spent nine seasons between 2009-2018.
"Maybe," the Real head coach told Sky Italy when asked whether Ronaldo will be heading back to Spain.
"We know Cristiano, we know the person he is and everything he has done here. But now he’s a Juventus player and we must respect this.
"Now, let’s see what the future will be. I was lucky enough to coach him and he is very impressive. Right now, he’s helping Juventus."
Real have struggled for goals since Ronaldo’s departure, with Karim Benzema their only regular scorer.
Record signing Eden Hazard has been blighted with injury since joining from Chelsea in 2019, making just 25 La Liga appearances.
After returning from a muscle problem for the final 15 minutes in Saturday's last-gasp 2-1 win over Elche, Zidane said Hazard will miss Tuesday's Champions League home last-16 second leg with Atalanta and cannot put a timeframe on his absence.
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"He won't be fit. We'll release a statement but I can't say any more than that," Zidane told a news conference.
"They're things that I can't explain. I want to be positive and hope that it's not too much of a problem.
"Something's up, because he was never injured in his entire career (before joining Real) or there were very few injuries. It's something new. I can't really give any more of an explanation. We want to help him and hope he's back as soon as possible.
"We're going to try and figure out why it's happening (the club's injuries), but right now we can't explain it. We've spoken about things like the lack of pre-season, amount of games and the mental aspect."
Additional reporting by Reuters
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