"Do you think Ronaldo owes Manchester United?" - Dean Saunders says 5-time Ballon d'Or winner does not 'owe anybody any loyalty'

Former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders has said that Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo is free to do whatever he wants on the back of his contributions to the beautiful game.

Ronaldo, who is in the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, is desperate to leave the Red Devils after they failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions last season. The Portuguese is currently on leave from the Red Devils' pre-season tour due to personal reasons.

The 37-year-old has recently been linked with La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid in the ongoing transfer window, as per The Times. He was also rumoured with moves to Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Saunders said that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner owes nothing to United and is free to decide his future, considering his stellar exploits in the game over the years.

"He (Alex Crook) said 'Do you think Ronaldo owes Manchester United because we started his career off?' And I said no, he has done so much in the game that he owes nobody nothing. Neither does (Lionel) Messi."

He continued:

"I don't think he owes anybody any loyalty. He has just given us so much pleasure over the years, and he has achieved so much in his career. He can do whatever he wants."

Meanwhile, Mirror reported earlier that the Red Devils are open to letting the Portuguese superstar leave on loan for a season if the player activates a clause in his contract that would keep him at Old Trafford till 2024.

After returning to his old club last summer, Ronaldo scored 24 goals in 38 appearances across competitions last season. However, the Red Devils went trophyless, finishing a lowly sixth in the league, with their lowest points tally of 58 in a Premier League campaign.

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Cristiano Ronaldo willing to take pay cut to depart Manchester United

According to Ben Jacobs (via Daily Star), Cristiano Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, has informed potential suitors that his client is willing to take a 30% pay cut on his reported £485,000 weekly salary.

However, new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reiterated that he's planning to prepare for the upcoming season with the striker in his squad. Despite Anthony Martial's return from a loan spell at Sevilla, United are short in offensive options after the exit of Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard. Hence, it's likely Ronaldo will stay at Old Trafford this summer.