By Adeleye Kunle
Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese striker for Manchester United, makes a rare appearance as captain during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 3, 2022, at Old Trafford in Manchester, northwest England.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s meeting with Real Madrid on Tuesday produced no positive results, as he requested that his contract be terminated in order for him to join a Champions League team.
Despite Ronaldo’s stance, Manchester United have insisted that the forward is not for sale because no formal bid has been received.
Talks about the 37-year-old making a commitment to the Red Devils fell through, but he is expected to continue professionally.
Ronaldo had missed United’s preseason tours in Thailand and Australia, but was available for a medical checkup on Wednesday, during which he watched his team’s 4-1 win over Wrexham from behind closed doors.
The Portuguese superstar is expected to be available for Sunday’s pre-season match against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford.
Chelsea withdrew their bid for the superstar a while ago, and Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid appeared to rule themselves out publicly this week.
Atletico Madrid fans held a banner that read “CR7 not welcome” during a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
Ronaldo had taken a two-week leave of absence from the club to attend to “family matters,” which called for sanctions because he was seen to be breaching contractual obligations by missing the tour.
However, due to the sensitive nature of his reasons for remaining in Lisbon, United CEO Richard Arnold decided not to sanction him. Arnold is said to be “relaxed” about Ronaldo missing the entire tour – and is more concerned with resolving the striker’s immediate future.
