Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be part of the squad Manchester United takes to Thailand and Australia on Friday, as Erik ten Hag continues preparation for his first season in charge.
Ronaldo has been absent from training this week, citing family reasons behind his absence from Carrington. United board members insist they don’t wish to sell the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, despite his obvious desire to depart. Ronaldo is still tied to the club for another season.
Chelsea is considering a bid for the 37-year-old. New co-owner Todd Boehly met Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, in Portugal last week, with the forward reportedly open to the idea of joining a Premier League rival.
Bayern was also informed of Ronaldo’s status at United, but the German giants went public in denying their intention to sign the Portuguese star. In Italy, where Ronaldo played for Juventus between 2018 and 2021, Napoli and AS Roma are considering a bid, but at this point, it’s unclear if either of the two can afford such a move.
Barcelona, a fierce rival for Ronaldo in the nine years he spent breaking records in Real Madrid’s shirt, was also offered the chance to go after him. The Blaugrana might be tempted if Lewandowski doesn’t come.
Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions last season, being United’s top goal scorer. After only finishing sixth in the Premier League, United won’t play in the Champions League this year. The club included clauses in players’ contracts allowing a unilateral 25% pay cut if they didn’t qualify for Europe’s main club competition. This is one reason for Ronaldo’s unhappiness, with the other being related to the club’s modest activity on the market since the transfer window opened.
What are the odds of a transfer for Ronaldo?
Just days ago, odds were favoring Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford. He was at +140 to continue playing for Manchester United, while a transfer to Chelsea was at +200. Recent events caused a stir in the odds charts. Chelsea sits at -110 to sign Ronaldo, while the player staying in Manchester went to +175. A transfer to Bayern seems unlikely given the club’s public stance against going after him, but the bookmakers still place it at +330. A move to Barcelona is at +600, followed by a potential transfer to AS Roma at +750.