Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a move back to Old Trafford for some time...and now the Bianconeri could have given him that out for good.

It's a well-known fact that Juventus have been desperate to win the Champions League for a long time. The Bianconeri have the dubious record for featuring in the most finals yet coming up short, and this frustration led to them spending a huge amount of money on superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, whose track record in Europe's premier club competition is simply outstanding.

However, their investment hasn't paid off. La Vecchia Signora paid €112 million for CR7 in 2018 and yet, they have not only failed to win a single UCL trophy but also haven't even made it to a single final. Of course, it's very fair to put all of this on the 36-year-old's shoulders. After all, he's only one player, and he didn't win all those UCL titles by himself at Manchester United and Real Madrid; he had the support of an entire squad of players behind him. 

Now, Juventus find themselves in a tricky situation. Cristiano's salary is costing them a whopping €31 million a season and they will need to implement some drastic cost cutting measures, especially as they've crashed out of the Champions League early for a second straight season, meaning that they don't get a big share of the huge prize pool. There's also the danger not even qualifying for the tournament entirely if they can't even secure a top four spot.  

The epic failure of the European Super League is another major concern for Juventus. That tournament would have brought in hundreds of millions to Juve's coffers, and now with the competition on hiatus, the Bianconeri how have a major headache on their hands.

For the first time in a decade, they're also going to miss out on winning the Scudetto as Inter are in pole position to win their first league title since 2010.

So, in short, cost cutting is even more necessary, and when an organization is looking to do that, the highest-wage earners are often times top of the list.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Cristiano is actually ready to drop his salary demands to make a return to England. Manchester United, who currently sit in second place, are in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League. Like Juventus, they also are in crisis after the fiasco following the European Super League crisis and are in turmoil at the executive level following Ed Woodward's abrupt resignation.

The report claims that the 36-year-old multi-Ballon d'Or winner would be willing to drop his yearly wage packet to about €20 million per year, while Juventus will be hoping to sell for at least €29 million to make a profit on their investment from three years ago.