Fiat workers threaten to strike over Juventus' signing of Ronaldo

A trade union in southern Italy has called for a strike at a Fiat Chrysler plant over Juventus' costly signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Bloomberg.

The workers accused the Agnelli family, which owns Juventus and a minority stake in the car manufacturer, of prioritising the club over the common man.

"It's unacceptable that, while FCA and CNHI workers continue to make huge economic sacrifices, the company spends hundreds of millions of euros on the purchase of a player," union USB Lavoro Privato said in a statement.

The entire package for Ronaldo in wages, fees, and taxes is worth €340 million, easily making the Portuguese star the most expensive signing in the club's history.

"We're all employees of the same owner, but in such a period of enormous social difficulty, this difference in treatment cannot and must not be accepted," the union said. "The company should invest in car models that guarantee the futures of thousands of people rather than enriching only one."

There was speculation that Fiat would pay for Ronaldo's wages - reported to be €30 million a season after tax - in the form of a pseudo-sponsorship agreement.

Talk of Ronaldo's transfer over the past couple of weeks also caused Juventus' stock to rise by 35 percent.