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Cristiano Ronaldo must make two compromises for Man Utd transfer exit in January
Cristiano Ronaldo could be set to leave Manchester United.
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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is at a crossroads in his career after being reduced to a squad player under Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner attempted to secure an exit from Old Trafford in the summer as he hoped to be playing Champions League football. However, a transfer failed to materialise.
There have been fresh rumours linking Ronaldo away from United after he was left out of the squad to face Chelsea for disciplinary reasons. Ten Hag confirmed that the 37-year-old refused to come off the bench in the 2-0 win over Tottenham, and then walked down the tunnel before the full-time whistle had blown.
Chelsea were among the teams linked with Ronaldo in the summer, and it is thought that co-owner and acting sporting director Todd Boehly retains an interest in the Portugal star, but he will not move for the United man without Graham Potter’s blessing.
As Ronaldo has made just two Premier League starts this season and only three league games remaining before the World Cup, his time at Old Trafford could soon be coming to an end by the way of a possible January transfer.
However there are obstacles to overcome for Ronaldo if he wants to secure a move elsewhere. The Athletic claim that while United are willing to let him leave on a free transfer in January, they will not pay his expensive contract up due to their financial constraints. Another problem for the forward would be that he is likely to have to take a pay cut if he wants to play Champions League football.
It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo would be willing to forgo the final six months of his contract at Old Trafford, where he is the club’s highest earner, in order to play regular football in the twilight of his career.
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The report also claims that if Ronaldo is to leave the club in the next transfer window, a replacement is unlikely after the club over-spent in the summer as they brought in Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony, Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Martin Dubravka.
Ronaldo is set to hold crunch talks with Ten Hag on Monday but the Dutchman reiterated his desire to keep the legendary striker at the club after his side’s 1-1 draw away to Chelsea on Saturday. "He's valuable to us. We need him, that's clear," Ten Hag said.
"And I think you see it also in this game; he can finish. That's quite obvious. I think I have said enough about the situation. Let's focus on this game. It was a good game for my team. I have to really compliment my team."