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Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly reaches agreement with Spanish authorities over tax fraud

Cristiano Ronaldo arrives at the Juventus medical centre at the Allianz Stadium in Turin
Image: Cristiano Ronaldo is set to plead guilty to tax fraud

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to plead guilty to tax fraud as part of a deal he has agreed with Spanish authorities, according to reports.

The former Real Madrid man is expected to pay a fine of close to 19m euros (£16.9m) and accept a suspended two-year prison sentence.

A source with knowledge of the deal - which was first reported in the Spanish media - confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that the agreement will be finalised in the coming days.

Ronaldo had already reached a tentative deal with the state prosecutor's office, but Spain's tax authorities had yet to sign off on the agreement.

Last year, a Spanish state prosecutor accused Ronaldo of four counts of tax fraud from 2011-14 worth 14.7m euros.

The prosecutor accused the Portugal forward of having used shell companies outside Spain to hide income made from image rights. The accusation does not involve his salary from his time with Real.

Juventus supporters pose with a Cristiano Ronaldo No.7 Jersey in front of the Juventus store on July 10, 2018
Image: The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo has delighted the Juventus support

Ronaldo denied any wrongdoing when questioned by a judge last July.

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In 2016, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi received a suspended 21-month jail sentence after being found guilty of defrauding tax authorities of 4.1m euros.

Juventus signed Ronaldo from Real earlier this month in a club record deal.

And he is set to start his Serie A career at Chievo (on the weekend of August 18-19) after the opening round of Italian top-flight fixtures were released on Wednesday.

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