Amidst reports that say Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to leave Manchester United this summer, the club have declined to comment.
Saturday evening saw Duncan Castles break the news of the 37-year-old's planned exit, with the report adding that the decision was mainly based on his ambition to play in the Champions League.
Ronaldo has always played amongst Europe's elite, he is the top goalscorer in the competition.
It was always difficult to imagine him playing on a Europa League pitch.
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United's fate was drawn once Ralf Rangnick failed to rejuvenate the squad which were performing ever-so poorly under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer beforehand.
The German was unable to get the team up to speed, and whilst neither Arsenal or Tottenham were incredibly ahead of the Reds in quality, it was clear that they'd finish above them once the Premier League entered its closing phase.
Ronaldo will now likely leave the Theatre of Dreams for the second time in his career.
The veteran forward re-joined United last summer in a window which saw Jadon Sancho and former Real Madrid team-mate Raphael Varane join him.
It was thought that United could go onto challenge for silverware, but 10 months later and it couldn't have been further from the truth.
David Ornstein of The Athletic, alongside Adam Crafton and Dan Sheldon, supported Castles initial report, confirming that the player has asked to leave the club.
The report adds that Ronaldo wants United to be competitive at the highest level and wants them to match his ambition.
This is coupled with the aforementioned Times report saying that the player believes he has "three or four" more years left at the top level.
Last week Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo's agent, met with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in Portugal, and he also spoke to Bayern Munich.
The Athletic's report also adds that Napoli are interested in the striker.
Meanwhile, United's decline to comment sparks interest when paying attention to another report.
Matte Moretto says via Relevo that the reports are true that the striker wants to leave, but adds that United, at the moment, do not intend to part ways with him.
He also adds, on top of the previously mentioned report, that Chelsea, Bayern and Napoli have asked about his situation.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Transfers, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Premier League, Football, Jorge Mendes, Erik Ten Hag
Cain Smith