Stephen Dunmoye
Cristiano Ronaldo has been reported to bring his unhappy return in Manchester United to an end, as Atletico Madrid boss, Diego Simeone is set to offer him an escape route.
Ronaldo remains determined to depart the Red Devils this summer after one season back at Old Trafford, following his high-profile return from Juventus last summer after 12 years away.
He has been attempting to force through an exit for two months but no move has yet been concluded with just 10 days remaining in the transfer window.
The 37-year-old came on as a second-half substitute in the Premier League opening weekend defeat by Brighton as he was not deemed fit enough to start. He was restored to the starting line-up for the humiliating four-goal loss at Brentford in the following game.
Ronaldo snubbed a request from the club’s assistant coach Steve McClaren to acknowledge the travelling United fans after the game, showing the disillusion engulfing the club.
The list of possible destinations for Ronaldo is limited to Atletico Madrid, with a strong candidate to secure his signature.
Despite the Portuguese superstar’s links with Real Madrid – where he is the all-time record club goal scorer with a scarcely believable 450 goals in 438 appearances – he is open to joining their city rivals.
Atleti fans have protested against the possible signing but that is not detracting boss Diego Simeone, who would love for the club to land a player he has always greatly admired.
Simeone believes that Ronaldo could have a similar impact to Luis Suarez – the Uruguayan, who joined Barcelona in 2020 and subsequently fired them to the league title in his debut season.
He has described Ronaldo as his ‘dream signing’, and the Spanish club would allow at least one forward to join United in a separate arrangement.
Despite Suarez’s exit this summer, Atletico are well-stocked in attack with Alvaro Morata’s return to the club joining Angel Correa, Matheus Cunha, Joao Felix and Antoine.
