Manchester United made an enquiry to Real Madrid about buying back former star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo - who left United for Real in the summer of 2009 for £80million - appears to be close to completing an £88million move to Serie A giants Juventus as the club are willing to meet his wage demands and make the sensational move happen.
Ronaldo's days at Real Madrid appear to be numbered
However, The Independent claims that United's executive vice chairman Ed Woodward enquired about the former Red Devil as he wants a marquee name for the summer, but was told that significant progress had been made by the Italian club.
There were rumours of a contract stand-off between Ronaldo and Los Blancos, but sources close to the situation say it has gone beyond that stage.
The Portuguese, 33, has been left frustrated that the European champions have not lived up to perceived assurances to keep him as the best paid player in the world, with the last contracts signed by Lionel Messi and Neymar significantly overtaking him.
Real president Florentino Perez is also looking into the future - and the club will be keen to acquire a big new player who is also younger than Ronaldo.
The sale of Ronaldo could help Real Madrid fund moves for the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe
Selling Ronaldo could thus fund a move for the likes of Neymar, 26, or Kylian Mbappe, 19, despite the fact the club released a statement saying they had not agreed a world-record deal for the Frenchman.
However, sources close to Real believe that the leaks about Ronaldo and Juventus were done to "test the waters" to see how the sale of a club legend would be to the Bernabeu support.
A Ronaldo move to Juve could suit all parties, although there is some way to go, with the situation further complicated by UEFA's re-opened probe into PSG's sponsorship deals.
Juventus are a club looking to expand and have been very busy in the transfer market as they look to become European champions for the first time since 1985.
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