Manchester United make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision - EXCLUSIVE - 7M sport

Manchester United make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision - EXCLUSIVE



Posted Thursday, March 18, 2021 by Express.co.uk

Manchester United have been linked with Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the summer transfer window.

Manchester United won’t be pushing to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo in this summer’s transfer window, Express Sport understands. The 36-year-old has been linked with a move back to Old Trafford amid uncertainty over his future at Juventus. And while the Portugal international returning was once a dream for Ed Woodward, they’ve now switched their focus to other targets.

Back in 2003, United lost David Beckham to Real Madrid.

It was a major blow to the Red Devils, with Sir Alex Ferguson cutting him loose after believing he’d grown too big for his boots.

United then decided to sign Ronaldo, who had terrorised them during a pre-season friendly for Sporting Lisbon.

It took him a while to find his feet in England but crunching tackles from the likes of Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs helped him eventually flourish.

Ronaldo fired United to three Premier League titles on the spin, while also propelling them to Champions League glory - a prize they’ve had to go without in the years since his departure.

Manchester United make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision - EXCLUSIVE
Manchester United won't be signing Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer transfer window (Image: GETTY)

The 36-year-old joined Real Madrid in 2009 and has continued to score goals galore at Juventus, helping them extend their dominance at the top of Serie A.

Yet talk of a move away from the Allianz Stadium has gathered momentum in recent times, particularly in the wake of their Champions League exit to Porto.

United, as ever, have had their name thrown into the ring.

Yet Express Sport understands the club have moved on from Ronaldo and are now focused on signing other targets instead.

They’ve made exceptions when it comes to landing veterans in recent years, namely Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani.

But Ronaldo’s huge salary demands make a deal unfeasible, even for a club of United’s immense size and stature.

The club aren’t even planning to swoop for the Juventus star, although did previously dream of bringing him back to the Theatre of Dreams.

Erling Haaland appears to now be their preferred target instead, while the likes of Jadon Sancho, Declan Rice and Jules Kounde have been tipped to arrive as well.

Real Madrid now seem like frontrunners in the race to sign Ronaldo, particularly after comments made by Zinedine Zidane earlier in the week.

The Frenchman mischievously claimed talk of Ronaldo returning to the Bernabeu ‘might be true’, saying: “Yes, it may be [true].

Manchester United make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision - EXCLUSIVE
Manchester United won the lot with Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks (Image: GETTY)

"We know Cristiano, we know the person he is and everything he has done here.

"But now he's a Juventus player and we must respect this.

"Now, let's see what the future will be. I was lucky enough to coach him and he is very impressive. Right now, he's helping Juventus."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played alongside Ronaldo at United.

But the Norwegian has other priorities now and it seems as though the ship has sailed when it comes to a potential return.

Manchester United make Cristiano Ronaldo transfer decision - EXCLUSIVE
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford (Image: GETTY)

Patrice Evra previously revealed Ronaldo had agreed to go back to the Theatre of Dreams in 2013, with Sir Alex Ferguson convinced a deal would happen.

"He [Ferguson] said: 'My target is I'm 99 per cent sure we will have Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.’

"‘I just need these two players to win the Champions League again. Ninety-nine per cent’.

"And to be fair, when I speak with Cristiano, I ask him and he said yes to the boss, and was coming to join United. He told me this."



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