Following the Portuguese international‘s contentious negotiations over his future, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich have both openly distanced themselves from Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, who missed United’s preseason trip due to personal obligations, came back to Manchester on Tuesday to meet with the club’s management team to talk about his future. The 37-year-old is eager to leave United to play in the Champions League, but the club is unwilling to let him go.
There aren’t many suitors for Ronaldo; the three primary clubs in the conversation are Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea, all of which have openly ruled out a deal.
Nevertheless, reports linking Ronaldo to all three continue to surface, with Atleti and Bayern again going public to clarify their stance.
Firstly, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo insisted: “I don’t know who has invented the story of Cristiano, but it is practically impossible for him to come.”
While Atleti dismissed a move for financial reasons, Bayern director Oliver Kahn chose to focus on his belief that Ronaldo would not be a good fit for the team.
“We discussed Cristiano Ronaldo internally,” Kahn admitted to Bild. “I consider him one of the greatest footballers ever.
“But we came to the conclusion that, despite our appreciation for Cristiano, he would not fit into our philosophy in the current situation.”
As for Chelsea, 90min understands that owner Todd Boehly is keen to get a deal done but has accepted the option of manager Thomas Tuchel, who is not convinced that the 37-year-old would be a good fit for his high-pressing side.
Boehly has given Tuchel time to consider other targets but is prepared to launch a bid for Ronaldo if the boss cannot find a better option in the next few weeks.
Should Ronaldo fail to secure a move away, the belief is that he would not refuse to play for United under Erik ten Hag.
