Real Madrid star Marcelo wants reunion with Ronaldo

Bengaluru, October 23: Real Madrid star defender Marcelo reportedly wants to quit Santiago Bernabeu to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.

The Serie A giants smashed their transfer record this summer to bring the Portuguese striker to Turin for £99million.

Now, reports in Italy claim that Ronaldo’s former team-mate and one of his best friends Marcelo has informed Madrid he wants to leave in January to be reunited with the superstar.

They report the reigning Scudetto holders would have to fork out between £44m and £53m for the 30-year-old bombarding left-back.

And the Italian publication state Juventus will loan out Alex Sandro to a Premier League club to finance the move.

Marcelo has been linked with a move to the Old Lady all summer but pledged his allegiance to Real Madrid in September.

The Brazilian told the club’s TV channel: “I am very happy at Madrid. People know what my situation is, I have a lot of years left on my contract, I am very happy here. For me it is the best club in the world.”

But a nightmare start to the season could have led to a change of mind in the ex-Fluminense defender.

He scored the strike that brought an end to the club’s longest-ever goalless run on Saturday but that was not enough to stop Madrid from slipping to defeat at home to Levante.

That has led to reports Real are poised to bring a premature end to Julen Lopetegui's tenure at the Bernabeu after only nine games of the La Liga season. He took over in the summer after being sacked by Spain days before their World Cup campaign.

The 52-year-old angered national team bosses after Madrid revealed he had agreed to take over at the Bernabeu after the tournament in Russia.

It was a tournament he never got to manage in and now less than three months into the job he could be out on his ear once again.