Manchester United Legend Cristiano Ronaldo has received a trivial transfer request from the Serie A club Udinese, following the Portuguese star shoving for an exit from Old Trafford.
Having returned to Old Trafford for the second time on August 27, 2022, the Portuguese contract with United will expire in June 2023.
However, United do have the option of extending the five times Ballon d’Or winner’s deal till 2024.
Amid that, Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri saw and reacted to one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s quotes shared on social media by DAZN Italia. In the quote, Ronaldo commented on his ambition.
The 37-year-old Portuguese icon simply put: “My ambition is great. I want to be present at the World Cup and European Championships. I feel very motivated. My journey is not finished yet.”
When Marco Silvestri, a Udinese goalie saw the quote, he cheekily requested that the Portuguese football legend should join his side following the Spanish club’s impressive start to the season.
He said: “Come to Udinese.”
Udinese seem to grab this as an opportunity to lure the five times Ballon d’Or to their side as they swiftly reacted to Silvestri’s comment with an eye emoji, and also tagged the Portuguese in their posts to make sure Ronaldo received the invitation.
Recall that the Portuguese forward was keen to find his way out of Old Trafford during the last transfer window as he craved to compete in the Champions League.
Prevailing as the Champions League’s all-time top scorer (140 goals) and leading appearance maker (183 matches), Ronaldo was aiming to uphold his lead over PSG’s long-time rival Lionel Messi and was eager to join a Champions League club since United opted out.
That ruled out Udinese since they are not also in the Champions League race but the Friulian side have made a tremendous start to their Serie A campaign this season.
Udinese currently occupy the 3rd place in the Serie A table. The Friulians have had a flying start to their season, picking up 16 points from their first seven matches after five wins and one draw.
Udinese are striving to maintain this form in a bid to qualify for European Campaign, and they’ve taken this opportunity to propose to the five times Ballon d’Or holder to make the move to the Italian side.
Now that the former 37-year-old former Juventus star has been asked to consider a return to Italy by Udinese goalkeeper Marco Silvestri and seconded by the club’s official social media admin, it remains to be seen whether or not the call will yield in their favour.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s future at United is still up in the air as the Portuguese football legend has been struggling for starts under new United manager Erik Ten Hag.
However, with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford both nursing injuries, starting Cristiano Ronaldo has now become an inevitable decision for the United coach.
Having scored only one goal across eight appearances for the Red Devils after netting a penalty in the 2-0 Europa league match victory against Sheriff Tiraspol; being Ronaldo’s 699th club career goal is certainly below the Portuguese standard.
Moreover, if Antony Martial and Rashford, or any of the pair, are fit to return for the Premier League trip to Manchester City on the 2nd of October, Ronaldo may return to the bench where he has started the last four Premier League matches for the Red Devils.
If these unfavorable starts should persist, a return to Serie A where the Portuguese would do better could certainly appeal to Ronaldo as Serie A topper Napoli could also try to persuade the 37-year-old into a move after showing interest in the Portuguese in the last transfer window.
FC Napoli have made a rapid start to their Champions League campaign this summer, winning their first two matches, including a 4-1 demolition of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Ronaldo may not hesitate to move to Napoli following their impressive exploits in the Serie A, and most especially being a Champions League club.
