Cristiano Ronaldo insists on leaving Manchester United and keen on Atlético Madrid move

Manchester United are not bluffing. The English club is not willing to let Cristiano Ronaldo go. Despite the fact that the Portuguese star’s wish is to leave Old Trafford, the United directors and their manager, Ten Hag, are utterly reluctant to let him leave. The best example of this has been the refusal to negotiate a transfer with Chelsea. But the player is also entrenched in his position. The fight has begun and clubs across Europe are waiting in case there is the possibility of landing the winner of five Ballons d’Or. Whilst economically it would be a huge stretch, Atlético Madrid, until recently just another bystander have now had contact with the player’s circle.

In principle, Cristiano Ronaldo reached a deal with Chelsea a few days ago. At the express wish of London club’s new owner, Todd Boehly, an agreement was made with agent Jorge Mendes for the Portuguese striker to play the next two seasons at Stamford Bridge, but Tuchel’s reluctance and the total rejection of United to the operation stopped the move.

Any transfer will be difficult, but rumours abound of possibilities. Bayern are looking for a replacement for Lewandowski, although Kahn, president of the Sports Council, commented in Bild that he doubts if “signing Cristiano would be the right thing to do”.

For Simeone, Cristiano Ronaldo is number 1

One of the clubs Ronaldo has been linked to is Atlético. This newspaper reported a few days ago that there had been informal contacts, since the reality is that the Spanish club right would struggle to put together the operation, mainly due to economic constraints, over and above the impact in the fan base of signing a former Real Madrid legend. Atleti needs to sell off 40 million dollars in players in any case and, to be able to sign Ronaldo that number would need to be higher. And right now the club are having difficulty shifting players.

See also: Atleti need to sell to bring in Ronaldo

But the summer is long and willpower can change reality. At Atlético Madrid, although everything seems calm at the moment, there could still be some moves (Morata, Correa...). And Simeone loves Cristiano. In public, in private and internally at the club, he has always commented that he is a footballer who makes a difference, a “number 1″, a winner. The coach looks longingly at the Portuguese star, seeing a chance for a neat deal like the one that brought Luis Suárez in 2020, but with even greater impact, both sportingly and commercially: a world star still with the desire to prove himself, with proven calibre and a winning character. Ronaldo scored 24 goals with United, the team’s top scorer last season. Nobody at Atleti went over 13. And the Portuguese is the footballer with the most followers on the planet, which would also boost the club’s image.

In the Champions League and with the challenge of the LaLiga

And Ronaldo himself looks favorably on the option of ending up at the Metropolitan. Atleti would mean he would play in the Champions League (Manchester United qualified for the Europa League) and be competing for titles. And he likes living in Madrid. What’s more, just as Cholo likes Ronaldo, Cristiano is excited by the prospect of being able to work with Simeone, a competitive individual who is devoted to football like him. The praise between them has flowed in both directions.

The footballer is still in Portugal and has not traveled to Manchester yet, while the team is on tour. The star said he had a family issue that prevented him from joining up with the squad. A few days ago, Cristiano had a talk with Ten Hag, in which the coach explained his plans to him and conveyed to him the importance that Ronaldo has in his ideas, but he wasn’t able to change the striker’s view. Time is running and, as the days go by, the rumors about the future of the star are getting louder. At the moment, the only sure thing is that he is still a United player, but it is not unreasonable to believe in a possible return of Cristiano to the Spanish League. United are yet to be persuaded but the player will continue to insist and Atleti, on the prowl, are expecting movement at Old Trafford. But they are not the only club…