Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United will make him the highest paid player in Premier League history, Telegraph Sport understands.
United sensationally highjacked Manchester City’s attempts to sign Ronaldo from Juventus on Friday in a deal worth up to £19.7 million ($38.6 million).
Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand played a pivotal role in bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, 12 years after his departure for Real Madrid in a then world record £80 million ($157 million) deal.
The Glazers, United’s owners, hope Ronaldo will have a similar impact at Old Trafford to Tom Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the legendary quarterback helped their NFL franchise to win a first Super Bowl in 18 years in February, 11 months after his signing.
It is understood that Ronaldo’s two-year contract, which includes the option of another 12 months, will see him stand to earn in excess of the £560,000 ($1.1 million) a week that former United forward Alexis Sanchez’s deal was worth at Old Trafford, including bonuses and image rights.
However, the contract is said to be substantially less than Lionel Messi’s £1 million ($2 million) a week deal with Paris Saint-Germain, whom he joined on a free transfer from Barcelona earlier this month. Raphael Varane’s £400,000($780,000) a week deal with United had briefly made him the highest earning player in the Premier League this summe,r but that will now be eclipsed by his new team-mate, with whom he also played at Real.
Sanchez’s move to Old Trafford from Arsenal in 2018 proved a huge flop and he left United last year to join Inter Milan on a free transfer after the Manchester club agreed a £9m ($17.6 million) settlement to get him off their books.