As the European Championship enters its final stages, captivating the football world with its excitement, FC Barcelona's camp, led by president Joan Laporta, is working on the "deal of the century." Laporta aims to finalize an "incredible" deal to sign Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to play alongside team captain Lionel Messi, according to various sources.
Recently, speculation has increased surrounding the feasibility of this deal, which seems "unrealistic" on paper but has begun to take on a more tangible form in recent days.
**The Beginning of the Plan**
The idea began to take shape in Laporta's mind when Juventus signed coach Massimiliano Allegri, who has a poor relationship with Ronaldo. Ronaldo spent his first season at Juventus under Allegri, who did not bring out the best in him, particularly due to his defensive style. With Allegri's arrival, Juventus started considering selling Ronaldo, whose contract expires in the summer of 2022, making this summer a crucial opportunity for the team to avoid losing him for free.
**A Swap Deal**
Laporta promised major plans to restore Barcelona to its rightful path when he was elected president a few months ago, and the Ronaldo-Messi plan could be the most significant in the club's history. According to the newspaper "AS," Laporta plans to make a substantial but short-term offer to Ronaldo, who the Barcelona camp believes will be interested in Laporta's proposal.
On Juventus’ side, Laporta intends to offer several players from the team in a swap deal for Ronaldo. Among the prominent names likely to be included in the deal are Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, Brazilian Philippe Coutinho, and Spaniard Sergi Roberto.
**The Main Obstacle**
The main obstacle to the "deal of the century" will be Ronaldo himself, whose long history with Real Madrid, Barcelona's historic rival, might prevent him from "betraying" Los Blancos. Ronaldo spent nine seasons in a Real Madrid shirt and has a special relationship with the club's fans, who might consider him a "traitor" should he transfer to Barcelona.
On the other hand, Ronaldo will not prefer one project over another based solely on the financial offer; the player aims for the end of his career to enhance his historical stature rather than just to earn more money.
The coming days will reveal developments regarding this "crazy" idea, especially as Ronaldo focuses entirely on the European Championship, from which he is expected to emerge shortly.
