As per several credible reports, Cristiano Ronaldo has officially informed Manchester United about his intentions to leave the club this summer, with concerns that the club are far from the competitive side they used to be during the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 37-year-old is ready to leave the club just after a season ago since he joined on a two-year deal amid much fanfare last summer. However, United insist that the Portuguese is not for sale and have reminded him that he has one year remaining on his contract.
Over the past few weeks, Ronaldo’s representative, Jorge Mendes, has spoken to several clubs over the possibility of his client securing a shock move. The likes of Bayern Munich and Napoli have been linked while Chelsea have been the most closely linked name with the United star. So far, it has only been discussions and there is no agreement with any side at the moment.
Ronaldo has grown frustrated by United’s slump and is bothered at the lack of improvement since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer departed the club last November.
Ronaldo still wants to win trophies – but not at United
Obviously, an ambitious player like Ronaldo would still want to win trophies and he strongly believes he can do so, even with his age. However, he doesn’t think he can achieve that at United and in retrospect, he might be right.
Just weeks ago, it was reported that the 37-year-old was bothered about United’s nonchalance in the transfer window, especially at a time when already better sides were improving their squads even further. Three players have left United so far but they are yet to make any additions.
However, left-back Tyrell Malacia is expected to complete a move in the coming days while Frenkie de Jong and Lisandro Martinez could yet follow. An offer has also been made to Christian Eriksen but the Danish midfielder could well turn that down.
Ronaldo was United’s top scorer last season, scoring 24 goals across all competitions, and it appears Erik ten Hag has made plans for him to be part of his side this season.
United need a striker and Ronaldo needs Champions League football
It is no secret that Manchester United need a striker but they are no closer to getting any. The Red Devils hold an interest in Ajax forward Antony but could give up on that chase due to the club’s valuation of the player. Marcus Rashford is still waiting for a chance upfront but questions have been asked of the player’s consistency.
On the path of Ronaldo, Bayern have ruled out a move for the forward but Napoli are reportedly giving the idea much thought.
It would be weird to imagine Ronaldo playing Europa League football, especially for a player of his caliber. He has been part of 19 consecutive Champions League seasons since leaving Sporting Lisbon for English football in the summer of 2003. The forward has made 183 appearances in the competition, notching 140 goals and recording 42 assists in that time.
