July 07, (THEWILL) – Manchester United are prepared to let Cristiano Ronaldo leave Old Trafford this summer and they anticipate an offer from English Premier League rivals, Chelsea, soon.
Ronaldo and his agent, Jorge Mendes, startled the United’s hierarchy and manager, Erik ten Hag, earlier this month, when they broke the news that the Portuguese superstar would wish to depart this summer. The new manager had Ronaldo at the centre of his preparations for the upcoming season, but, Ten Hag now thinks Ronaldo’s career might be better served somewhere else.
Less than a year after leaving Juventus and after scoring 24 goals in all competitions in his return debut year, the iconic goal-scorer thinks he has done enough to prove he can compete against the best in the world, only that he does not think United will be a strong title contender in the upcoming year.
The striker’s decision to leave was also influenced by United’s failure to make the UEFA Champions League, and United have accepted that he will be allowed to move with one year remaining on his current deal. This has emboldened Chelsea to formalise their interest and submit a bid, while Jorge Mendes continues to consider options for the player.
United is expected to price Ronaldo at a modest £15 million, but his wages of about £400,000 per week could deter suitors. However, Mendes revealed that Ronaldo will accept a pay cut. Todd Boehly, therefore, wants to seize the opportunity to sign one of the biggest names in sports, especially as Thomas Tuchel is tweaking their front line. Raheem Sterling is close to coming in and could play alongside Ronaldo if Chelsea get their man.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
