Cristiano Ronaldo is desperate to leave Manchester United due to a fear that Lionel Messi could catch his Champions League record.
It has been reported on Saturday that Ronaldo has asked the Old Trafford club to let him leave if a ‘satisfactory offer’ comes in for him.
Ronaldo still has one year left on his two year deal that he signed last summer after he made a sensational return to United from Juventus.
Despite adding Ronaldo to their ranks, United suffered a horrid 21/22 season as they failed to qualify for the Champions League after collecting the club’s lowest Premier League points tally to finish in sixth place.
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And now, Ronaldo is considering his future, but according to former Chelsea and Celtic striker Tony Cascarino, Ronaldo only wants to leave United because he is fearful that his Champions League record could be eclipsed.
The Portuguese great is currently the top scorer in the history of Europe’s finest competition with 141 goals, with arch rival Messi second with 125. Messi will be playing in the Champions League with Paris Saint Germain in the new season, whilst Ronaldo will be in the Europa League if he stays with the Red Devils.
Cascarino told talkSPORT: “Ronaldo is a player, as always, that has an ego. A lot of it is about him but the teams he’s played in have been successful, so you always go with that as a team player.”
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“Great, he scores goals, he gets the accolades, he’s one of the greatest that’s ever played the game. You can have all that and that’s fine, as long as you’re winning. When you don’t win, now you’ve got a problem.”
He added: “I said to you off-air, I’m a bit suspicious because he’s got 141 goals in the Champions League. Messi has got 125. He doesn’t want to not play Champions League football because he wants to be the greatest Champions League goalscorer of all time and that’s how Ronaldo is made.”
According to The Athletic, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keeping a close eye on Ronaldo’s situation, and news emerged last week that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes had been in contact with the Stamford Bridge club. Napoli are also believed to be in the running to sign Ronaldo.
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However, United’s stance remains unchanged, they are adamant that Ronaldo is not for sale.
Will Ronaldo be playing for United when the new season gets underway? Only time will tell.
Topics: Football, Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours
Marcus Chan