Cristiano Ronaldo will “without a doubt” be at Juventus next season, says the club’s sporting director Fabio Paratici, with it claimed the Portuguese wants another Ballon d’Or during his time in Italy.
Questions have been asked of the 34-year-old’s ongoing presence in Turin amid supposed strain in his relationship with Bianconeri boss Maurizio Sarri.
Ronaldo was substituted on two occasions and left out completely when nursing a knee complaint in November, while his manager has admitted that a superstar performer needs to “recover brilliance”.
Paratici expects lofty standards to be met again in Italy, with there no reason to believe that a parting of ways will be agreed in 2020.
Instead, Ronaldo is being tipped to chase down the sixth Golden Ball of his remarkable career, with eternal rival Lionel Messi having edged one triumph ahead of him again in their personal battle.
Paratici told Sky Sport Italia when quizzed on Ronaldo and his decision to snub the Ballon 2019 Ballon d’Or ceremony in favour of collecting a Serie A Player of the Year prize in Milan: “I smile because there are other problems.
“He wanted this award [Serie A MVP] because he is an ambitious person and he wants to show he is also the best here.
“In our opinion he deserves the Ballon d’Or. He will be at Juventus next season, without a doubt.
“He wants to win another Ballon d’Or with us, and we support him.”
Getty ImagesParatici has also sought to play down any talk of their being multiple departures from the Allianz Stadium in January, with experienced Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic the only player likely to move on.
He added: “We won’t buy anyone in January, not even player sales, with the exception of maybe Mandzukic.”
Movement in Juve’s attacking department may be sanctioned as they have a number of proven performers competing at the peak of their powers.
Ronaldo was back among the goals in his most recent outing, while Argentina international Paulo Dybala has been impressing after returning to favour.
It has been suggested that a man who came close to leaving the club over the summer could now be in line for fresh terms, but Paratici says no contract discussions have been held as yet.
He said of Dybala: “We’re not talking about a renewal, we’ll talk about it when the time is right.”