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A former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo has said he has grown up a lot in recent years amid speculation he could be set for a shocking return to the Premier League.

The transfer rumour mill was sent racing this summer after it emerged the five time Balon d’Or winner would be not extending his deal with Juventus. His current contract with the Old Lady expires next June, and consequently a number of top sides have been linked as his next suitors for 2022/23.

Naturally, Manchester United have been strongly mentioned. A return to his former club is the dream scenario for most, if not all, of the Red Devils fanbase.

More recently there have been claims Paris Saint-Germain are not content with having just the one footballing legend in their team.

After signing Lionel Messi, the French side seemingly want to unite former foes by bringing Ronaldo to the Parc des Princes.

And in an even more remarkable turn of events, the 36-year-old has now been offered to Premier League champions Manchester City by his agent Jorge Mendes. That’s according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport. 

They report City now have the option to give Ronaldo a taste of the blue side of Manchester.

Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid and Portugal teammate, Ricardo Carvalho, has made a claim which United fans may disagree with after learning he could break his promise of never joining their rivals.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Carvalho said: “He’s grown a lot over the years and is much more mature.

“One thing hasn’t changed, though: his whole life revolves around being successful in anything he does. Cristiano is a perfectionist. He doesn’t demand anything from you that he can’t do himself.

“People may criticise him and disagree with him. But there’s no question that as a footballer, he’s Portugal’s biggest symbol worldwide. And by his own merit, he has been in that position for many years already.”

Carvalho sings Mbappe’s praises

If Ronaldo’s next destination were to be Paris, he could be replacing another of Carvalho’s former teammates in Kylian Mbappe.

The two played alongside each other at Monaco when Mbappe was emerging onto the scene.

Of the Frenchman, ex-Chelsea defender Carvalho said: “It was incredible to see a talent like him emerging. We had a good relationship. Recently, when I was Marseille’s assistant coach, we played PSG in the French Super Cup. He came over to our bench to give me a hug.

“At Monaco, everything we spoke about had the sole purpose of helping him improve. When you’re starting out and have the traits he had, you can be more individualistic than you should. So it was important for him to improve his decision-making.

“He always wanted to do more, and felt that he could, but it’s crucial to find balance for the team. That was how he reached this level.”

READ MORE: Aguero chooses Barcelona exit route which will see him depart in January

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