Real Madrid star Marcelo ‘plotting January exit to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus’
REAL MADRID star Marcelo reportedly wants to quit the Bernabeu to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.
The Serie A giants smashed their transfer record this summer to bring the Portuguese striker to Turin for £99million.
Now claim Ronaldo’s old team-mate has informed Madrid he wants to leave in January to be reunited with the superstar.
They report the reigning Scudetto holders would have to fork out between £44m and £53m for the 30-year-old left-back.
And the Italian publication state Juventus will loan out Alex Sandro to a Premier League club in order to finance the move.
Marcelo has been linked with a move to the Old Lady all summer but pledged his allegiance to Madrid in September.
The Brazilian told the club’s TV channel: “I am very happy at Madrid. People know what my situation is, I have a lot of years left on my contract, I am very happy here. For me it is the best club in the world.”
But a nightmare start to the season could have led to a change of mind in the ex-Fluminense defender.
LOP CHOP Real Madrid are ‘close to sacking Julen Lopetegui’
He scored the strike that brought an end to the club’s longest-ever goalless run on Saturday but that was not enough to stop Madrid from slipping to defeat at home to Levante.
That has led to reports Real are poised to bring a premature end to Julen Lopetegui’s tenure at the Bernabeu after only nine games of the La Liga season.
He took over in the summer after being sacked by Spain days before their World Cup campaign.
The 52-year-old angered national team bosses after Madrid revealed he had agreed to take over at the Bernabeu after the tournament in Russia.
It was a tournament he never got to manage in – and now less than three months into the job he could be out on his ear once again.
Fans loudly jeered after Madrid reached 481 minutes without finding the net in the 2-1 loss to Levante, who scored twice early through Jose Luis Morales and Roger after a penalty was awarded following a video review.
Madrid now face a huge decision before next week’s El Clasico at Barcelona with B team Santiago Solari, Laurent Blanc and Antonio Conte all linked with the job.
Marcelo has been in the Spanish capital since 2007 and has made over 350 appearances, winning both La Liga and the Champions League four times.