Cristiano Ronaldo still hasn’t joined up with the rest of his Manchester United teammates this preseason, amidst his strong desire to leave the club. Ahead of United’s 4-0 win over Liverpool in Bangkok today, United manager Erik ten Hag maintained that Ronaldo isn’t for sale this summer.
He was just reiterating the club’s stance, and perhaps that line will indeed hold, but for now it’s clear that CR7 wants to go a destination where he’ll have a chance to play Champions League football.
However, finding an actual destination for the 37-year-old has proven to be more a bit tricky than you might expect. He’s been linked to Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, but none of those clubs seem to be a fit.
Sports Illustrated, citing Julien Laurens of the Global Star;
“Bayern Munich also turned down the chance to sign Ronaldo, while Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is not keen either, despite a meeting between Mendes and Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.”
The “also” refers to PSG, as ESPN reports that the Portugese’s agent Jorge Mendes offered his client up “but the French champions rejected the possibility of signing.”
Bayern’s front office has also, earlier this summer, made it clear that they’re not interested in signing the footballer that many believe is the G.O.A.T.
Speaking of Bayern, the Robert Lewandowski transfer saga is getting pretty ugly and protracted as well, and it’s having a domino effect on the Ronaldo situation.
Lewandowski wants to go to FC Barcelona, period, but could consider Chelsea as a fallback option. And if you want to know why Tuchel isn’t really interested in Ronaldo, well according to the narrative from CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, the German is very much prioritizing a move for the Poland international ahead of United’s leading scorer this past season.
Got all that? Confused? When all is said and done, Ronaldo may just have to stay put and see out the second/final year of his current deal.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.