Man City linked with three-time Premier League winner after missing out on Kane deal

Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City looked back to their best on Saturday as they coasted past Norwich City with a 5-0 victory. 

Pep Guardiola’s side had started the season poorly, losing the Community Shield 1-0 to Leicester City before also going down 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the opening game of their title defence.

If the humbling defeats to Leicester and Spurs proved anything to Guardiola, it was his side’s evident lack of a goalscorer.

For the entirety of the summer, City have been relentlessly linked with a move for want-away Spurs striker Harry Kane but the England captain confirmed on Wednesday he was staying at Spurs.

With time running out and a move for Kane dead in the water, City are now being linked with what would be one of the most audacious transfers in history.

French outlet L’Equipe are reporting that Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is set to push for a move to Manchester in the final week of the window.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner and scorer of over 670 career goals is reportedly unhappy in Turin and is reluctant to see out the final year of his current contract with Juventus.

Ronaldo is reportedly unhappy in Italy after Juventus failed to win the Serie A title for the first time in a decade last season.

The report suggests that the 36-year-old has discussed a potential move to City with the club’s Portuguese trio of Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo.

It is believed that Silva, or fellow teammate Aymeric Laporte, could potentially be included in a swap deal.

The Citizens are reportedly willing to meet Ronaldo’s wage demands, but are unwilling to pay an excessive transfer fee, and the City duo could therefore be used to reduce Juventus’ demands.

News of a potential deal for the former Manchester United hero, who won three Premier League titles in his spell at Old Trafford, comes despite City having already splashed out £100 million on Jack Grealish.

Ronaldo had previously been linked with a sensational move to French side Paris Saint-Germain, that would see him link up with fellow serial Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.

With less than a week to go, a deal for Ronaldo may seem unlikely and may prove impossible to complete.

However, with Kane out of the picture, the Portuguese forward could present a tempting alternative to the Englishman.