Cristiano Ronaldo has shown that he wants to leave Manchester United this summer to ideally sign with a team that will compete in the UEFA Champions League this year.
Not only that, the 37-year-old forward appears to still be interested in playing in Europe’s top domestic leagues.
Ronaldo is ready to turn down a club in Saudi Arabia that has not been identified but has offered to give him €30 million to leave Manchester United and €275 million in salaries over the course of the following two seasons, according to Adriana Garcia of ESPN.
If the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had accepted the deal, he would have been the highest-paid footballer in the entire globe.
At this point in his career, Ronaldo “wants to fight for significant prizes in a competitive league, and wants to play Champions League football next season,” according to Garcia.
When questioned about Ronaldo in his most recent news conference, new United boss Erik ten Hag made it obvious that the Portugal captain is part of his plans.
Ronaldo, who was unable to join the Red Devils on their preseason tour of Australia due to a family matter, has been working on his own to get ready for the upcoming campaign and recently shared a photo on social media while wearing United’s training shorts.
According to reports, the 37-year-old wants to participate in the Champions League next year which is why he has been pushing to exit United despite still having a year left on his contract.
In his later years, he hopes to compete for significant prizes in a top league, something he feels he cannot do at United using the club’s woeful performance last season as a measuring tool.
Although Ronaldo hates the idea of playing Europa League football next season, he would have to stay in Manchester given the apparent lack of interest from clubs that initially showed interest in him. Chelsea recently withdrew from a proposed transaction.
Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are apparently still interested, although a transfer at this time appears doubtful.
Following his return to Manchester United after initially leaving the club for Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 38 games last season.
However, because United finished sixth in the Premier League and did not qualify for the Champions League, it is thought that Ronaldo desires nothing but a club playing in the Champions League.
Tuchel does not want Cristiano Ronaldo at Chelsea
Following discussions with Cristiano Ronaldo’s agents, Chelsea have stated that they are no longer interested in acquiring the Portuguese star from Manchester United.
After telling United he wanted to leave Old Trafford due to what he believes to be a lack of ambition in their summer transfer transactions, Ronaldo reportedly told Jorge Mendes, his agent, to start searching for a new club for him. It is believed that Mendes gave Chelsea the chance to recruit the 37-year-old earlier this summer.
In recent weeks, Mendes spoke with Todd Boehly about a prospective transfer. It is believed that Chelsea’s American co-owner was interested in purchasing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
However, it’s understood that Chelsea, who on Wednesday paid £50 million to Manchester City to seal the signing of Raheem Sterling, has turned down the chance after speaking with Thomas Tuchel.
After allowing Romelu Lukaku to sign a loan deal with Internazionale, the manager now has the following key striker options: Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Sterling, and Armando Broja.
But West Ham is quite interested in Broja, who spent last season on loan at Southampton.
Chelsea isn’t likely to bring in any more offensive help as Tuchel focuses on fortifying his defense. The club is still rumored to be looking for a versatile player who can also cover for Reece James at right-wing-back.
