English Premier League giants Man United have reportedly rejected a transfer deal involving Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Despite being part of Erik ten Hag’s plans, Ronaldo wants to leave Old Trafford this summer to play Champions League football. Atletico can provide that after coming third in La Liga the previous season, however, president Enrique Cerezo has denied the rumors that the Spanish club wants to sign Ronaldo.
Atletico Madrid reportedly want Griezmann off Atletico’s roster after he returned to the team last summer on loan from Barcelona.
Although Atletico are required to sign Griezmann permanently before June 2023, that provision might be put into effect right away, enabling Atletico to loan him out.
A report by The Athletic claimed that although United are aware of Griezmann’s availability, they are not keen on signing him in exchange for Ronaldo. The World Cup winner has previously been linked to the Red Devils, but his career has fallen recently.
Since moving to Barcelona three years ago, Griezmann has only scored 25 La Liga goals. For the forward, the previous campaign was very discouraging because he only managed three goals in La Liga. Additionally, he hasn’t scored in his last six matches for France. While Ronaldo who is older than him continues to be quite productive in front of goal.
Antoine Griezmann is thought to be available this summer. Manchester United are aware of this, but have dismissed the idea of a potential swap deal involving Ronaldo at this stage. #MUFC [@lauriewhitwell @TheAthleticUK]
— The United Devils (@TheUnitedDevils) July 27, 2022
Despite United’s terrible season, he scored 24 goals in all competitions the previous season. Man United finished sixth in the Premier League, and had their lowest point total (58) in 32 years.
With only 11 days till the start of their Premier League season at home against Brighton, United is hoping to decide Ronaldo’s future as soon as possible. He only showed up for practice on Tuesday after missing their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to personal reasons.
Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes went to the Carrington training base of Manchester United for tense talks about his future. Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary United manager, was seen accompanying Ronaldo inside the facility, although it’s not known if he took part in the negotiations.
Meanwhile, many big clubs have rejected an opportunity to sign Cristiano Ronaldo – including Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, FC Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain.
This leaves the Portugal star player with no other option than to stay with Man United next season if a new club doesn’t come for him.
Even though he wants to leave, Man United’s new manager Erik ten Hag has made it clear that he wants to continue working with Cristiano Ronaldo next season. However, his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon has shown little interest, and no serious moves have been made by the club or any other club yet.
