8 players Juventus needs to sell during the summer transfer window

Cristiano Ronaldo

Now it’s time for some controversy. I’m sure there are going to be plenty of you who think it’s ridiculous that I still want to sell Cristiano Ronaldo after he went on an absolute rampage over the last couple of months. However, that run hasn’t eased any of the concerns I have about Juve keeping Ronaldo.

First, there’s the exorbitant cost of Ronaldo’s salary that was never going to be easy for Juventus to cope with and the money they’re missing out on right now because of the coronavirus isn’t going to make Ronaldo’s financial burden any easier to deal with.

Then there’s the matter of his age. He turned 35 last month and even though he continues to defy the laws of ageing, at some point that number is going to matter. To make things even worse, we have absolutely no idea right now what his schedule is going to look like going forward.

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If Serie A and the Champions League decide to start playing again in May or June and it carries into the summer, then I believe we’ll see Ronaldo wear down during next season because of the change in schedule. If he wears down near the end of next season then it kind of defeats the purpose of having a player of his calibre at your club.

There is also the matter of the money selling Ronaldo would bring back to Juventus. Even at 35, he’ll still attract a big transfer fee that would allow Juventus to finally address the issues in their midfield that they’ve mostly neglected over the last few years.

In recent years, Juventus has adopted a policy of discarding ageing players before they become a liability. They’ve gone so far as to let beloved players like Alessandro Del Piero and Claudio Marchisio finish their careers elsewhere. Ronaldo’s name value shouldn’t protect him from this same treatment.

I’m sure it will be unpopular with many fans, but Juventus needs to stick with their strategy here and let Ronaldo walk before his decline makes him not worth the cost of his contract.