Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo may have just thrown a spanner in the works at Manchester United this summer, as the veteran forward has reportedly asked the club to allow him to leave.
As per a report from Times Sport journalist Duncan Castles, Ronaldo has eyes away from Old Trafford before the upcoming season and has asked the club to allow his departure if the Red Devils receive what they deem to be a suitable financial offer for his services.
🔺 EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to be allowed to leave Manchester United should the Premier League club receive a satisfactory offer in the transfer window https://t.co/yx8POGB5M4
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) July 2, 2022
The timing of the reported request could not have come at a worse moment for United boss Erik ten Hag, who was on the cusp of flexing his influence at his new charge during the transfer window with multiple deals on the verge of completion.
This comes in the wake of United agreeing to terms with Feyenoord for 22-year-old Dutch international left-back Tyrell Malacia, who has already arrived at the club as of today.
With further potential deals in the pipeline for Ajax center-back Lisandro Martínez, Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, and possibly Danish star Christian Eriksen, United looked on the road to meeting Ten Hag’s vision of a necessary overhaul of the first-team squad.
But the English giants could now have been hit with a massive setback, should Ronaldo actually leave before the transfer window closes, having missed out on both Erling Haaland and Darin Núñez this summer, with the Portuguese great having been pegged as a key piece of the puzzle under Ten Hag in 2022-23.
The unexpected request will now surely see the Red Devils switch gears in the market and find a suitable replacement for the forward, considering the only options currently available to Ten Hag come through Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
And now, with LOSC Lille’s Jonathan David increasingly looking like an option for Bayern Munich, expected to lose Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, there is no telling in which direction United will turn to find a true option up front.
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