Cristiano Ronaldo Rumors: PSG Turn Down Offer to Sign Manchester United Star
July 12, 2022
Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain has turned down an offer to sign Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, according to ESPN's Julien Laurens.
Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, offered him to PSG, but the Parisians don't feel the Portuguese forward "is the right signing at this moment" and "the club doesn't have enough space in their wage bill to pay him," Laurens added.
It would not make sense for the Parisians to pursue Ronaldo with an attack that already includes Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar. The club's new manager, Christophe Galtier, will already have a tough enough time putting those three on the pitch together as he prefers a three-man defense, which will result in the club running a 3-5-2 or 3-4-1-2 formation.
In addition to PSG, Bayern Munich turned down the opportunity to sign Ronaldo this summer. Oliver Kahn, CEO of the Bundesliga powerhouse, said earlier this month that adding the 37-year-old would not "fit with our philosophy."
"As much as I appreciate Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest, a transfer would not fit into our philosophy," Kahn told German magazine Kicker.
Premier League side Chelsea have also shown interest in Ronaldo this summer, with new owner Todd Boehly having met with his agent to discuss the possibility of the Portuguese international joining the club.
However, Blues manager Thomas Tuchel is "reluctant" to bring in Ronaldo for 2022-23, according to the Daily Mail's Joe Bernstein.
Ronaldo requested a transfer from Manchester United earlier this month, according to Duncan Castles of The Times. He is said to be frustrated by the club's lack of activity in the transfer market this summer and also wants to play for a team that competes in the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester United finished the 2021-22 season sixth in the Premier League table, and the Red Devils were eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 with a 2-1 loss on aggregate to Atletico Madrid.
The Red Devils will not compete in the Champions League in 2022-23 following this year's disappointing finish.
Despite rumors surrounding Ronaldo, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has insisted that he is off limits, telling reporters earlier this week that he is still very much a part of the club's strategy.
"We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that's it. I'm looking forward to working with him. I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together.
"I spoke with him before this issue came up, I had a conversation with him and I had a good talk. That is between Cristiano and me, what I can confirm is we had a really good conversation together."
Ronaldo also reiterated his commitment to the Red Devils last month, saying the club will soon be championship-caliber once again and that his motivation is to "carry on" and keep "working hard."
Ronaldo is in his second stint with Manchester United after having played for the club from 2003 to 2009 before moving on to play for La Liga's Real Madrid and Serie A's Juventus. During the 2021-22 campaign, he tallied 24 goals across all competitions.