"I never won the Europa League and I will win that too," Ex-Milan director claims Cristiano Ronaldo was keen on winning title with club

What's the story?

Former AC Milan sports director Massimiliano Mirabelli has claimed that the Rossoneri were close to signing former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who had reportedly told the club that while he has never won the Europa League, he will do so soon.

In case you didn't know...

This is not the first time Mirabelli has made claims that Milan were close to signing the Portuguese superstar, stating last year, "It was something we talked about with Jorge Mendes. We knew there could be problems with Real [and Ronaldo]. We did everything, but then the Chinese owners blocked the deal because it was not sustainable."

"With the current owners CR7 would have been a Milan player."

Ronaldo ended his nine-year stint at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer and moved to the Serie A, where he is currently one of the season's top-scorers.

The heart of the matter

In an interview with newspaper Libero, Mirabelli has reiterated the claim, adding that Ronaldo had even told the club he was keen on winning the Europa League.

The former sports director said (via Calciomercato), "If I was the current ownership, now Ronaldo would play in Milan. CR7 told us "You are not in Champions, ok, but I never won the Europa League and I will win that too."

He added, "He was convinced, I sat down with the agent and my part was over. Then the Chinese didn't take out the money: they thought we would never come to treat a champion like this."

What's next?

Juventus are looking at another Serie A title as they comfortably sit fifteen points clear at the top of the league table. The club also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League courtesy of a miraculous hat-trick by Ronaldo himself.

The league leaders are scheduled to face Empoli in the league on Saturday night.