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How Barcelona could line up with Cristiano Ronaldo

Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up if they signed Juventus attacker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Barcelona have been offered the chance to sign Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, according to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague.

The 35-year-old penned a four-year contract with the Old Lady upon his arrival in the summer of 2018, and he has scored 65 times in 89 appearances for the Italian champions in all competitions.

Ronaldo ended the 2019-20 season with 37 goals in 46 appearances in all competitions, but according to Balague, Juve are hoping to sell the Portugal international during this summer's transfer window due to his substantial wages.

The journalist told BBC Sport: "The reason why Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked to PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), it's not so much that PSG are thinking of getting him. It's because Jorge Mendes has been given instructions to actually find a team for Ronaldo. We have seen this in the last six months, he was linked to Real Madrid.

"Real Madrid said: 'no chance! He's not coming back'. There has been talks about MLS, etc. Because Juventus want to get rid of that wage. It's as drastic as that. He's been offered everywhere, including Barcelona. I'm not sure if they can get rid of him easily.

"In fact, with the kind of money, if he still earns the €23m (£20.8m) net that he was earning at Real Madrid, and I think he equalled his wages when he went to Juventus, who's going to pay that kind of money?"

The thought of Ronaldo lining up alongside a certain Lionel Messi at Camp Nou would surely excite the Barca supporters, and with that in mind, Sports Mole takes a look at how the Catalan giants could line up if the former Sporting Lisbon youngster made a stunning move to Camp Nou.


POSS BAR XI RON

Barca have already secured a deal for Miralem Pjanic ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, and the 30-year-old is likely to form a first-choice midfield three with Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets next season.

Manchester City's Eric Garcia could return in a defensive area, but the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak suggests that the Catalan giants are unlikely to make any big-money defensive signings, meaning that their back four is likely to have a similar look next term.

Ronaldo's potential arrival, meanwhile, would surely end Barca's chances of signing Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez. The Argentina international has been strongly linked with a move to Camp Nou, but a deal would be almost impossible if Ronaldo were to arrive due to the finances involved.

Antoine Griezmann could therefore benefit to become Barca's main player through the middle, with Luis Suarez, who has had his injury problems this season, rotating in and out of the XI when possible. Griezmann has struggled to produce his best form since arriving from Atletico Madrid but could thrive in a central area as Ronaldo's presence would take a lot of attention off the Frenchman.

Messi would therefore again feature on the right, with Ronaldo operating off the left. The Portuguese has played as a centre-forward for Juve this season, but the majority of his football has come as a left-sided attacker, and a return of 22 goals from 28 appearances in that area of the field is an indication of his effectiveness.

It would certainly be some story if Barca did manage to bring the former Manchester United attacker to Camp Nou, but a lot would have to happen for the deal to occur in the coming weeks.

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Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring for Juve on August 7, 2020
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid32256170224881
2Barcelona32217464372770
3GironaGirona32215667402768
4Atletico MadridAtletico32194959382161
5Athletic Bilbao321610652302258
6Real Sociedad321312746341251
7Real BetisBetis32121284038248
8Valencia32138113534147
9Villarreal32119125155-442
10Getafe32913103844-640
11Osasuna32116153746-939
12Sevilla32910134145-437
13Las PalmasLas Palmas32107153039-937
14AlavesAlaves3298152838-1035
15Rayo Vallecano32713122739-1234
16Celta Vigo32710153747-1031
17Mallorca32613132638-1231
18CadizCadiz32413152245-2325
19Granada3239203361-2818
20Almeria32111203164-3314


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