Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly offered himself to Barcelona after Real Madrid ruled out a move for him.
The Portuguese is set for his second exit from Old Trafford after growing disillusioned with the lack of signings at the club and failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Ronaldo wants to compete for titles and has asked his agent Jorge Mendes to find him a new club. The player reportedly had a spat with Manchester United’s board who are willing to let him leave if they are able to recover the 20 million euros that they paid Juventus around a year ago.
The Portuguese wants to return to the Spanish league according to El Nacional, but both Real Madrid and their manager Carlo Ancelloti have ruled out a move for him. Fiorentino Perez reportedly considers Ronaldo a part of Madrid’s past and wishes to focus instead on the present and the future.
This has in turn made Cristiano Ronaldo hungry for revenge as he has offered himself to Barcelona. Jorge Mendes has good relations with Joan Laporta which has allowed the agent to offer the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to Lionel Messi’s former club.
Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo might struggle to broker move to Barcelona
While Real Madrid do not want him, Barcelona and Xavi Hernandez might not be able to sign Cristiano Ronaldo even if they want to. This is because the Portuguese will be forced to take a huge reduction in salary if the potential move happens, especially considering Barcelona’s financial condition.
Ronaldo has reportedly already communicated his willingness to work under Xavi Hernandez. However, the Spanish manager currently thinks that it is best to focus on alternatives. Moreover, Xavi does not want to halt the progress of Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati at the club which is another reason why he is reportedly unwilling to take on Cristiano Ronaldo.
Finally, Xavi would prefer a move for Robert Lewandowski over the Portuguese and he believes the two strikers are not compatible with each other. Lewandowski is three years younger to Cristiano Ronaldo and has outscored the Portuguese in recent campaigns.
Hence, while Cristiano Ronaldo might have offered himself to Real Madrid’s greatest rivals, brokering a move to the club might prove impossible for the ace marksman this summer due to multiple reasons. Of course, signing for Barcelona will no doubt irk the Real Madrid support around the world as well.
Where does Haaland rank in Paul Merson's 5 best Premier League transfers so far? Click here