Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream Manchester United return ended up being a nightmare, and now it could be over.
Ever since he left in 2009 for a Real Madrid move, any United fan’s dream transfer was for the prodigal son to return one day. When that day came last August, it felt like destiny.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo’s return coincided with United’s worst ever Premier League season, and recent reports have suggested the club’s number seven wants out.
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Now, in a report by the highly regarded Patrick Berger and Kerry Hau of Sport1 in Germany, it has been stated that the player was offered to German juggernauts Bayern Munich by his agent Jorge Mendes.
Germany is one of the only two ‘Big five’ European football leagues that Ronaldo is yet to play in, and with Robert Lewandowski likely to depart, it is a deal that would help Bayern make up for the number of goals they will be losing.
But after internal discussions, Bayern's CEO Oliver Kahn and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic ‘quickly lowered their thumbs’.
Their reason for doing so is largely financial.
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The Portuguese footballer is United’s top earner, bringing home roughly €27 million per year as a net salary from the Old Trafford outfit, before performance-related bonuses are considered.
Bayern’s wage structure is more controlled and modest than United’s, with their top earner being the aforementioned Lewandowski who takes home approximately €24 million per year as a gross salary, before performance-related bonuses are considered.
The key difference here is net versus gross, with gross income being before taxes and any other expenses are considered and net being after these are considered.
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Ronaldo’s net income is €3 million greater than Lewandowski’s gross income, around €60,000 difference per week.
Once tax and other expenses are accounted for, this gap only widens.
Should Bayern bring in Ronaldo on such numbers, other players would begin to demand greater wages and this would break the club’s wage structure. Bayern do not see this as worth it.
The other reason the Bavarian club turned the 37 year old down is due to his tendencies to put himself and his own well-being above the needs of the club.
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Ronaldo caused frustrations at United this season with his specific demands for his game time and Bayern do not want to deal with this, especially given how his status could lead to bad reflections on the club should there be an issue.
All in all, Ronaldo seems like he will be remaining at United for now. But the situation is certainly one to monitor.
The player is more than justifiably unhappy with the club’s current position and lack of activity so far in the transfer window, with United yet to make a signing.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Erik Ten Hag, Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski, Premier League, Football