According to information from “The Athletic”, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is willing to change, and his agent Jorge Mendes have held talks with Sporting Lisbon. The five-time world footballer wants to leave the Premier League club Manchester United.
A move would mean a return for the 37-year-old striker. He had played for the top Portuguese club as a youth and turned professional there before moving to Manchester United for the first time in 2003. Sporting had secured a place in the Champions League by finishing second in the Primeira Liga. According to “The Athletic”, however, a commitment for the club would be an enormous financial effort. Ronaldo is said to collect around 30 million euros a year in Manchester. Head coach Ruben Amorim is also said to have reservations about engaging the star.
Ronaldo should make it clear that he absolutely wants to play in the Champions League again in the new season. According to the report, he wants to expand his goal record in the premier class. In addition, Ronaldo is said to have given family reasons for leaving Manchester. But Ronaldo doesn’t have many options. Bayern and Chelsea refrained from a transfer, other top teams have no need on the offensive. After rumors of a move to Atlético Madrid, there were violent protests from supporters of the top Spanish club.
United’s club management and new coach Erik ten Hag are keen to keep the 2016 European champions. Ronaldo returned to Manchester a year ago and still has a contract until 2023. United failed to qualify for the Champions League last season and will play in the Europa League next season. Ronaldo had only rejoined United late from the summer break and had missed the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, among other things.
Another striker who could leave the Premier League is Timo Werner. As the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” reports, the German national soccer striker from Chelsea FC is said to be on the list of possible new signings for Real Madrid. In addition to Werner, Edin Dzeko and Edinson Cavani are also considered possible candidates for Los Blancos’ attack. For Real, only Werner’s loan would be an option, the report said.
According to media reports, Werner should also be an issue at Juventus Turin and Newcastle United. In addition, the “Leipziger Volkszeitung” reported that Bundesliga club RB Leipzig was interested in bringing the 26-year-old back. Club boss Oliver Mintzlaff is said to have been in contact with Werner for a long time. He is said to no longer feel comfortable with the London club and said publicly that he longed for more playing time.
Werner was by no means one of the permanent staff for coach Thomas Tuchel last season. Nevertheless, the 48-year-old was surprised by his striker’s statement. “I would be very happy if I were a young guy with a contract at Chelsea. I would be one of the happiest people in the world.”
Criticism of Werner also came from Michael Ballack. “The step of going to Chelsea, knowing what kind of environment awaits him, was courageous. He hasn’t managed to assert himself yet,” said the longtime DFB captain at a DAZN appointment in Munich. “I’m missing a bit of the elbow mentality, both at Chelsea and with the national team. That’s a bit too good for me.”
