According to The New York Times’ soccer reporter Rory Smith, Manchester United paid Juventus between $31 million and $38 million for the transfer.

Smith also observed that Juventus “needed Ronaldo to go” since the Italian club couldn’t justify his salary after losing revenue during the pandemic. (Juventus spent $120 million in 2018 to transfer the footballer from Real Madrid, and it signed him with a four-year contract worth around $80 million, Smith noted.)

Sky Sports’ Gianluca Di Marzio reported on Thursday, Aug. 26, that United rival Manchester City wanted to get Cristiano as a free transfer. A day later, The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano reported that Manchester City had dropped out of negotiations and that Manchester United was “confident” it could sign Cristiano.