Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo underwent a medical in Turin yesterday ahead of his fourth season with Juventus, along with four other returning Euro 2020 participants.
The 36-year-old Portugal international, who has one-year left on his contract, flew back to northern Italy on Sunday night.
Yesterday morning the top scorer in Serie A last season arrived at the team’s medical centre for tests where he was greeted by about one hundred cheering Juve fans and signed autographs.
Also returning were European championship participants Dejan Kulusevski, Matthijs De Ligt, Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot.
Ronaldo was reported to be set to meet coach Massimiliano Allegri and the Juventus management to clarify his future amid speculation linking him with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s future had been in doubt after a difficult campaign during which Juventus lost their Serie A crown after nine years, exited the Champions League in the last 16 and only sealed fourth place and elite European football on the final day.
Juventus open the new season at Udinese with Allegri, who signed Ronaldo in 2018, back at the helm two years after his shock departure despite winning five consecutive league titles with the Turin club. Former Real Madrid and Manchester United star Ronaldo has scored 101 goals in total for the club in 133 games.

Barcelona settle
Neymar lawsuits
Spanish football club Barcelona said yesterday they had “ended out of court in an amicable fashion” the various lawsuits with their former player Neymar.¨
“As such, a transactional agreement between the club and the player has been signed to end the legal cases that were pending between the two parties: three claims related to labour and a civil case,” the club said in a statement.
The Brazilian superstar Neymar enjoyed a successful spell at Barca between 2013 and 2017 before joining Paris Saint-Germain for a then world record 222 million euros ($261 million).  He joined Barca in 2013 and signed a new five-year contract in 2016, which included a renewal bonus worth 64.4 million euros. Most of the lawsuits concern this bonus.
Barcelona paid 20.75 million euros of this bonus before Neymar left for Paris Sant-Germain but then refused to pay the remaining amount, insisting the terms of his contract had been broken.
A Spanish court in June 2020 ordered Neymar to pay Barcelona 6.8 million euros, arguing that he did not have the right to collect the bonus money since he cut short his contract with the club.
Neymar also took FC Barcelona to court to demand three million euros which he argued the club owed him relating to his final month at the Spanish side before he joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Despite their legal disputes, Barca have made several attempts to re-sign Neymar.
But a fresh bid seems impossible for now, given Barcelona’s financial problems as a result of the coronavirus pandemic although the deal to settle all outstanding lawsuits is bound to renew speculation of a possible return.
The 29-year-old remains a popular figure amongst the Barca squad where he formed a devastating attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez during his time at Camp Nou.
Tottenham sign Gil with Lamela moving to Sevilla in exchange
Tottenham Hotspur have signed Bryan Gil from Sevilla, with Erik Lamela joining the Spanish club as part of the deal, the Premier League side announced yesterday. Gil has agreed a contract until 2026 with the north London club.
The 20-year-old winger will link up with his new teammates at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following the conclusion of the football tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, where he is representing Spain. This transfer agreement ends Lamela’s eight-year stint at Spurs.
The 29-year-old Argentinian joined from Roma in August 2013 and made 257 appearances in all competitions. “A club man through and through, we wish Erik all the best for the future,” said Spurs in a statement on their website.


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