Cristiano Ronaldo asks to leave Manchester United but club insist forward is not for sale

Manchester United will fight to keep Cristiano Ronaldo after their striker indicated he wants to leave Old Trafford this summer.

The Premier League club’s planning has been thrown into turmoil following reports that Ronaldo, 37, is keen to end his second spell with United after less than 12 months, should they receive a suitable offer.

United declined to comment on Saturday night but their position is very much that Ronaldo is not for sale and remains under contract at Old Trafford for at least one more season, after he re-joined them less than 12 months ago.

United also insist they have not received any offers for the veteran forward, despite uncertainty over his future and agent Jorge Mendes apparently investigating the possible market for his star client in recent weeks.

Chelsea, Napoli and Bayern Munich, who have distanced themselves from the pursuit of Ronaldo, publicly at least, are understood to have been informed of the situation by Mendes.

Ronaldo is due back into pre-season training with new United manager Erik ten Hag on Monday after being given an extended break following a summer of international duty with Portugal.

And, with United leaving for their pre-season tour of Asia and Australia on Friday, his immediate future is sure to dominate Ten Hag’s agenda.

Ronaldo cut an unhappy figure over the closing weeks of last season as United’s attempt to finish in the top four floundered badly.

It was widely reported that the striker had demanded a summer of significant squad strengthening for him to commit to the second year of his contract. That deal, signed in late August 2021, was a two-year contract, with a standard club option to extend it for one more year.

It has been widely accepted in the game that, given Ronaldo’s status, the decision over whether to see out the second year would lie with him though there is no indication whether his contract contains a release clause.

United paid £12.85 million to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford after a 12-year absence last summer – a fraction of the €100 million (£86 million) Juventus paid Real Madrid in his previous transfer three years earlier. At the start of last month, United’s official website published an interview in which their star asset described how he was looking forward to the new season.

And last week when reports surfaced linking Ronaldo with Chelsea, United were adamant that he would stay with the club. At the time, a spokesman said that Ronaldo was not for sale, with the expectation that he would remain a United player next season.

Given his phenomenal fitness levels, Ronaldo feels he could still play at the highest level for three or four more years but he is apparently not prepared to “waste” one of those seasons in the relative obscurity of the Europa League, where United will be forced to play in the coming season.

Significantly, reports in Germany recently claimed Mendes had “offered” Ronaldo to Bayern, although the Bundesliga champions publicly denied any interest.

Mendes was seen in a meeting with the new Chelsea owner, Todd Boehly, and, it is believed that Ronaldo’s status was one of the topics.

For the first time since 2010, United went through June without having added a new player in the summer window.

Although deals are ongoing for left-back Tyrell Malacia and Ajax centre-half Lisandro Martinez, United have yet to complete either of them for their new manager.

Meanwhile, United’s long-running pursuit of midfielder Frenkie de Jong appeared to have struck a complication on Saturday night when Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed the Dutchman wishes to remain at the club.

It appeared that United had agreed a basic €65 million, with bonuses that could take it as high as €85 million, but Laporta has claimed he will open negotiations with De Jong over a new contract.

“There are many clubs that want him, not just Manchester United,” said Laporta. “We have no intention of selling him, he wants to stay. I’m going to do everything to keep Frenkie but there’s also a salary issue and that would have to be adjusted.”

Despite the comments, United remain favourites to sign De Jong, however, with Laporta’s comments viewed very much as a bargaining chip in the saga.