24 April 2023 , 15:15
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Cristiano Ronaldo should follow Lionel Messi’s lead and move back to Spain in the summer transfer window, according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo.
As exclusively revealed by Mirror Football, Messi is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain upon the expiration of his contract at the end of June. The 35-year-old joined PSG on a two-year deal in August 2021 and the club are not planning to offer him an extension, after another year of disappointment in the Champions League.
Messi has been strongly linked with a move back to Barcelona, with the club’s president Joan Laporta extremely confident of making it happen. Laporta recently met with Messi’s father Jorge and is working hard to bring him back to Spain.
His return will come as a boost for La Liga and Atletico chief Cerezo believes reuniting the greatest player rivalry in modern football would make sense for the Spanish game.
Speaking at an event at the Real Club Tenis Barcelona, Cerezo said: “I think it would be fantastic if Messi returned to La Liga, as would Cristiano Ronaldo. Both are still playing and it would be fantastic if they came back.”
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It was unclear whether Cerezo was suggesting that Atletico could provide a home for either player. Atleti fans protested when there were rumours the club were interested in signing former Real Madrid striker Ronaldo last summer.
Lionel Messi will leave PSG in the summer (Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Where should Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi move this summer? Comment below.
Messi is by far the most likely of the two to move back to Spain. The World Cup winner only left Barca due to financial constraints two years ago and is keen to be reunited with his former team-mate, Xavi Hernandez, who will oversee a refresh of the squad in the summer.
Xavi said recently : "I hope we see him come home. I'm the first person who would love to see the best player ever return. And it is normal that fans are excited about a 'Last Dance' like [with] Michael Jordan."
Messi has received another tempting offer, however, with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal willing to pay him £369m-per-year. That move would bring him in direct competition with Ronaldo, who is playing for Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United in December.
Cristiano Ronaldo is playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia (Getty Images)Ronaldo signed a two-year contract with the Riyadh-based club which is worth a staggering €200m (£177m) per year. Former Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia claimed earlier this year that Ronaldo would not end his career in Saudi Arabia, and would instead move back to Europe at some point.
While he has continued to plunder goals in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has landed himself in hot water recently. He was told he could face deportation after grabbing his crotch in front of fans in a recent match.
Al-Nassr moved to calm things down by saying Ronaldo had a "sensitive" injury in that area of the body. Ronaldo has scored 11 goals in 11 Saudi Pro League games so far this season.