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    Soccer News: Cristiano to decide – Guardiola says deal with Ronaldo is “far away” as Manchester City reportedly withdraw

    Manchester City were the favorite to complete a sensational move for Cristiano Ronaldo until a fiery Pep Guardiola suggested the deal be canceled on Friday.

    Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri confirmed hours earlier that Ronaldo had informed him of his intention to leave the Serie A club.

    Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes had reportedly approached City, who lost Harry Kane’s signature after the England captain chose to stay at Tottenham.

    Reports on Thursday said personal terms between City and Ronaldo had been agreed and the transfer appeared to be approaching as the 36-year-old was photographed leaving Juve’s training ground, apparently for the last time.

    However, in a notable twist, Ronaldo’s former club and City rivals Manchester United are now in the running and, in his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Wolves, the boss of the Red Devils Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested that there may be a deal.

    As Solskjaer’s comments went public, Guardiola addressed the media ahead of City’s clash with Arsenal on Saturday and said Ronaldo would eventually make the final call on his future.

    Shortly after Guardiola’s press conference concluded, the BBC said City had withdrawn from the deal altogether.

    “Can’t say much. Harry Kane has announced that he will continue with his club, an exceptional club like Tottenham, “Guardiola told reporters.

    “Cristiano, I think he’s a Juventus player, I can’t add anything else. All I can say in these three or four days is that anything can happen.

    “But from my personal point of view, there are few players and I think Cristiano is included and [Lionel] Messi, of course, that they decide where they want to play. In that position [attack], at this moment this is my feeling, I am more than satisfied with the squad I have and I think it will remain the same. “

    Asked if he would be able to coach Ronaldo after spending so much time hailing his former player Messi as the best in the world, Guardiola added: “I say the same, Cristiano will decide where he wants to play, not Manchester City, not me. there are many things but in this moment it seems far, far away.

    “This is a difficult press conference, tomorrow we have a very important match ahead of us, but now it’s about other terms, other issues.

    “We are incredibly grateful to have enjoyed the best two players we have seen probably in the last 20, 30 years, as these two guys did, in world football, we can only say thank you.

    “The Argentine and the Portuguese have been fantastic in every single season, in different clubs, especially Messi only at Barcelona but now in France. What they did, we won’t see something like this in the future.

    “I am incredibly happy with the squad I have. More than satisfied. We are the same guys except one player is gone, Sergio [Aguero]and Jack [Grealish] came. I am focused on the players I have. This type of player decides.

    “Messi, he decided himself where he wanted to play. He decided Paris, he went to Paris. These players decide. They know the law, their goal. After that there are situations that I can’t control, it’s none of my business. I’m focused on what we have to do and on the players we have right now. “

    The Kane saga dragged on throughout the transfer window. Several reports have claimed that Tottenham turned down a City offer for their talisman in June, an offer said to be in the region of £ 100 million.

    Guardiola, on the other hand, said the opposite.

    “The club did absolutely everything. We didn’t speak to Tottenham, not even an offer, because they didn’t want to negotiate, “said Guardiola.

    “When a team doesn’t want to negotiate, there’s nothing to say. It is understandable that Tottenham didn’t want to talk, we didn’t talk, that’s all.

    “Maybe they’ve opened the door and say we want £ 200 million for Harry Kane. We’re not going to pay £ 200 million, for a reason, we don’t have it, that’s why we don’t.

    “We tried to open the door to negotiation and the grand master of negotiation, Daniel Levy, knows everything, so we couldn’t do it. He [Kane] he is a Tottenham Hotspur player and I wish him all the best in the last years of his career doing well in London ”.

    Guardiola also confirmed that City – who responded to an opening day defeat against Spurs by beating Norwich City last time – would once again be without Kevin De Bruyne for the Arsenal match.

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