- Simon Stone
- BBC Sport
42 minutes ago
Cristiano Ronaldo will meet Manchester United manager Eric ten Hag later on Tuesday to discuss his future with the club.
The 37-year-old Portuguese striker wants the club to let him leave this summer and missed Manchester United’s pre-season tour in Thailand and Australia for personal reasons.
Ronaldo has not trained with the team yet, but has now returned to Manchester.
Ten Hag had previously emphasized that Ronaldo was “not for sale” and “in our plans”.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United last season following playing for Real Madrid and Juventus.
Ten Hag said he spoke to Ronaldo before the team’s foreign tour, explaining: “I had a good conversation with him, and what was said during it remains between me and Cristiano. What I can confirm is that we had a really good conversation together.”
Ronaldo’s absence from the preparatory round sparked speculation regarding his future, and he also missed the club’s return to pre-season training at Carrington.
Instead, Ronaldo trained at the Portuguese national team headquarters.
Ronaldo was Manchester United’s top scorer last season – and the Premier League’s third-scorer – but the club’s overall season is seen as a huge disappointment.
Manchester United finished sixth in the Premier League table so they failed to qualify for the Champions League, which means Ronaldo, who has one year left on his Manchester United contract plus the option to extend for an additional year, might play in the Europa League for the time. First.
Ronaldo certainly isn’t enjoying it, and the five-time FIFA World Player of the Year feels there might be more attractive options for him at this point in his career.
Chelsea denied their interest in the Portuguese player earlier this month, while reports indicate that Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid are interested in acquiring his services.
It is understood that Manchester United do not wish to sell the player.
Manchester United plays Atletico Madrid in Norway on Saturday before its last pre-season match at Old Trafford once morest Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Manchester United opens its new Premier League campaign once morest Brighton at home on Sunday, 7 August.