Why Manchester City pulled out of Cristiano Ronaldo deal

Manchester City have pulled out of a deal to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, paving the way for a sensational return to Manchester United.

Ronaldo has been pushing for a move away from Juventus all week, with City seeming his most likely destination for most of that time.

His agent, Jorge Mendes, had been working hard to broker a deal with his client even willing to take a pay cut to ensure the transfer was finalised. However, 90min now understands that City have pulled out of the move with a return to United for Ronaldo now likely.

United entered the race on Wednesday with City pulling out on Friday. City believe the deal would have been too complicated and they had doubts over whether they could meet Ronaldo's demands. Things were made more complex by United entering the fray too.

Samuel Luckhurst has reported that his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson played an important role in the talks, with United submitting their offer after speaking with Ronaldo on Friday morning.

He has since added that Ronaldo is set to undergo a medical in Lisbon in the coming days. Ronaldo left Turin for Portugal after leaving Juventus training on Friday.