Why Oleksandr Zinchenko’s Man City future may depend on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement plans

The agent of Oleksandr Zinchenko has opened the door on a future move to Serie A for his client, but only if Cristiano Ronaldo is still playing on Italian soil. 

Manchester City’s utility man has proven a valuable component at the Etihad these past few years on account of his versatility, but his representative has not ruled out a departure in the near future.

Could Zinchenko leave Man City? Five things to know…

• Zinchenko joined Man City from Ufa in 2016 and has played a key role at left-back in Benjamin Mendy’s absence.
• He was linked with a move to Napoli in the summer but penned fresh terms with City.
• Zinchenko’s agent says his client made the “right choice” signing a new deal.
• However, he has since cast doubt on Zinchenko’s future by fanning the flames on a future move to Serie A.
• He says a potential move may be dependent on whether Ronaldo is still playing for Juventus.

Zinchenko, 22, joined City in 2016 but was made to wait until midway through the previous campaign before Pep Guardiola started to afford him serious playing time.

With Benjamin Mendy sidelined for the majority of 2018/19 with a serious knee injury, Zinchenko operated as an auxiliary left-back in his absence, and having excelled in the role, the Ukrainian was rewarded with a new contract in the summer.

The deal materialised despite interest from Napoli, though Zinchenko’s agent, Alan Prudnikov, has now talked up a move to Italy despite his recent renewal.

“With Guardiola, he plays at full-back, but he can do at least four roles and today he is focused on City, but in football never say never,” Prudnikov told Radio Marte, as relayed by CalcioNapoli24.

“One day it would be nice to beat Ronaldo also in Serie A, but it is necessary that Cristiano does not retire also because at the moment, Zinchenko’s future is at City.”

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Juve director: Ronaldo will see out his contract

Juventus director Fabio Paratici recently played down rumours that Ronaldo might leave Turin at the end of the campaign to seek out a new challenge.

The Portuguese legend has been at the Old Lady since joining from Real Madrid in 2018 and is contracted to the club until June 2022 but has in recent times been linked with a move to MLS with Inter Miami. David Beckham himself has even talked up a potential transfer, while Ronaldo has also stated in the past that a move stateside could be “possible”.

When asked about the potential of Ronaldo leaving, Paratici said: “Absolutely not. He is concentrated on the objectives he has set for himself and I really doubt he’ll leave at the end of this season or the campaign after that.

“We are very happy with Ronaldo and he is very happy with Juve.”

Squawka has partnered with Homefans to give you an opportunity to experience some of the game’s biggest derby days during the 2019/20 season.

Click here to find out how to win tickets, flights and accommodation to Roma’s Serie A game against Napoli on November 2nd 2019.