Cristiano Ronaldo 'absolutely wants' to join Borussia Dortmund as his Manchester United exit saga drags on.
The 37-year-old still hopes to find a route out of Old Trafford before the summer transfer window closes in just two weeks' time, but so far agent Jorge Mendes has been unable to engineer a move which suits his megastar client's desires. Ronaldo is desperate to keep playing in the Champions League and BILD now claim that he's set his sights on Dortmund.
The German outlet report that Mendes has already offered him to BVB chiefs, but received a discouraging response. Dortmund are said to have have zero intention of bringing Ronaldo to the Westfalenstadion, with his eye-watering wages cited as the primary reasons. That's despite the Black and Yellows manager Edin Terzic losing star signing Sebastien Haller early in the season after the French striker was diagnosed with a testicular tumour.
Ronaldo's keenness to join Dortmund stems from the Bundesliga giants being in the Champions League this term, as the Portuguese superstar looks to consolidate his place as the competition's all-time goalscorer. Ronaldo sits 15 goals ahead of eternal rival Lionel Messi in the history books, with the former Real Madrid and Juventus talisman bagging six in seven games for United last season.
But now the Red Devils will compete in the second-rate Europa League for the upcoming campaign, with new boss Erik ten Hag tasked with returning United to the top. It may take a while, though, and Ronaldo isn't interested in sticking around for what's set to be a lengthy rebuilding process.
The Red Devils' No.7 has featured in both of their Premier League games this season, but multiple reports suggest that his mood around the club's Carrington training complex has been miserable. As Ten Hag and United officials weigh up whether it's worth keeping an unhappy Ronaldo for the sake of his goals, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner recently took to Instagram to declare that the truth about his situation will come out "in a couple of weeks."
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"They know the truth when they interview in a couple weeks," Ronaldo wrote. "The media is telling lies. I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news I made, only 5 were right. Imagine how it is. Stick with that tip."
The Independent say that boyhood club Sporting Lisbon have offered to take him back in a homecoming move - but only if the Red Devils tear up his £360,000-a-week contract and allow him to leave for free. A decision on Ronaldo's future will need to be made soon, though, as transfer deadline day on September 1 is fast approaching.
