Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has already outlined why he is confident that Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Old Trafford this summer, amid shock reports linking him with a move to Chelsea.
It was reported on Saturday evening by The Athletic that new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly had met with super-agent Jorge Mendes last week and discussed the prospect of Ronaldo making a move to Stamford Bridge. It was not the main reason for the meeting, but it was among the subjects that were discussed.
United, who got their pre-season preparations under way on Monday, moved swiftly to rubbish any suggestions that Ronaldo could leave the club this summer. A senior club source said: "Cristiano is not for sale. We want and fully expect him to be with us next season."
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United, despite failing to qualify for the Champions League, are not expecting to lose Ronaldo this summer, with the Portugal captain understood to be committed to what manager Erik ten Hag is aiming to try and achieve. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is currently still on holiday with his family in Mallorca, scored 24 goals for United last term, highlighting exactly why Ten Hag wants to make full use of his talents.
After failing to qualify for the Champions League, speculation concerning Ronaldo's future was always going to be a hot topic this summer. He did not return to Old Trafford almost a year ago to compete in the Europa League on Thursday evenings.
However, United's desire to keep hold of Ronaldo will have come as no surprise to former midfielder Keane, who recently admitted that he would be surprised to see the 37-year-old leave the club in this summer's transfer window. As well as Chelsea being linked with him, Bayern Munich have also been credited with interest.
"I wouldn't have thought so," Keane told Sky Sports, speaking last month. "I know there's speculation but I can't imagine Ronaldo not being at Man United next year unless something drastic changes in the summer.
"If you look at the goals he's got, he's a threat and any manager would want to work with him. Simple as that."
Keane wasn't wrong. Ten Hag, before he had even stepped foot on English soil, made it clear how much he was looking forward to working with Ronaldo.
"I want to keep Cristiano at Man United, of course," the United manager told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "He has been very important for this club. Ronaldo is a giant, because of everything he has shown so far and because of how ambitious he is."
Therefore, Ten Hag, who is hoping to add Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to his squad, has made it crystal clear that he wants to keep hold of United's star attraction. He and Keane are both adamant he will stay, meaning that might just be enough to bring the speculation to a close.
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