A Paul Pogba Cristiano Ronaldo swap deal might *actually* happen

Sooner or later, you knew it would come to this...

Paul Pogba, as his agent has made it explicitly clear, wants out of Manchester United (again). Juventus are reportedly considering selling Cristiano Ronaldo in the next few months. The transfer swap deal rumour just writes itself, doesn't it? It's easy - very, very easy - to dismiss talk of an agreement which would see Pogba return to Turin in exchange for Ronaldo heading back to Old Trafford as mere speculation, and while that may well be exactly what it is for now, the chances of such a deal being struck aren't perhaps as far-fetched as some of us may think. Pogba's hopes of a securing a move to Real Madrid appear to be over and Juventus are seen as his likeliest destination when he eventually leaves Manchester. Speaking on the Football Ramble, The Independent's chief football writer, Miguel Delaney, said the idea of Ronaldo moving in the opposite direction is not out of the realms of possibility. "I was talking to people during the week, because I've been doing something on the Paul Pogba situation, which is connected to Ronaldo, and the fact that Juventus might actually be interested in a swap. It's not impossible. https://twitter.com/FootballRamble/status/1337155133982044168  

"Connected to all that was the view that ultimately, Juventus are trying to install this collective idea of football. They tried it with Sarri, now they're trying do it with Pirlo, but that is almost impossible to do while Ronaldo is there, because the way he plays, he just doesn't really fit into that collective approach.

"Now, obviously that was not a problem at all when he was at his absolute maximum, but now it means, even more than ever, Juventus have to play a certain way."

Ronaldo left United for Real Madrid in 2009, and has been frequently been linked with a return to Old Trafford in the time since. He joined Juventus in 2018, but his high wages, coupled with the recent financial difficulties Juve have experienced with the pandemic, have reportedly forced the club consider allowing him to leave a year before his contract expires.