Cristiano Ronaldo has broken his silence on Man United exit transfer rumours as the Portuguese star hit back at 'lies' amid rumours that Jorge Mendes was hoping to move the star to a club in the Champions League this summer.
The future of the 37-year-old has been up in the air of late after missing the club's pre-season tour. Despite manager Erik ten Hag's open plea for Ronaldo to stay put for his first season in charge, the Man United icon has been considering his options elsewhere. Amid the transfer speculation, he was granted time off in pre-season due to 'family reasons.' Nevertheless, his ambitions of playing in the Champions League has created much uncertainty amongst the United ranks with his agent Jorge Mendes meeting with various clubs to sound out the possibilities.
football.london understands that Mendes met with new owner Todd Boehly in Portugal to discuss a potential transfer, but this was shutdown by manager Thomas Tuchel who doesn't believe Ronaldo fits into his plans ahead of 2022/23. Chelsea have so far only signed Raheem Sterling for their attack, and with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech seeking exits this summer more attacking reinforcements may be needed as well as new options in defence.
READ MORE: Harry Kane to Chelsea transfer truth revealed as Cristiano Ronaldo still seeking Man Utd exit
That is why, despite Tuchel's insistence that the six-time Ballon d'Or winner what is needed this summer, the feeling was Mendes was always going to test the waters once more with the Blues.
"We know they have been offered a chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. It's something that Jorge Mendes discussed with Chelsea but Thomas Tuchel said no 10-15 days ago," Fabrizio Romano told the QueGolazo podcast recently.
"He didn't want to proceed on this opportunity, so I'm sure that Mendes will insist again with Chelsea, Bayern and Atletico Madrid until the end of the market but at the moment, it is still like this."
Since these quotes came out, Ronaldo has returned to England to hold showdown talks with the United board. Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson was even present at the training ground on the same day.
Amid rumours that these talks hadn't sorted out the situation surrounding his future, the Portuguese international has hit back at rumours of a potential exit, giving his thoughts on the current situation.
He responded on Instagram: "Impossible not to talk about me one day. Otherwise the press makes no money. You know that if you don't lie you can't get people's attention. Keep going that one day you get some news right. [followed by one laughing emoji]"
On top of this, Ronaldo has returned to training ahead of Manchester United's Premier League season kicking off in just over a week. Maybe he will indeed give Ten Hag at least one season before the question about his future pops up once more in 2023. Although he has been left out of the squad to take on Atlético Madrid in pre-season, so who knows.
Chelsea fans- With Cristiano Ronaldo looking ever-more likely to stay at Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, what attackers should the Blues pursue now? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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