"We mustn't forget Atletico Madrid" - Portuguese journalist speaks about Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Manchester United and says that 'Barcelona would be the last resort'

Portuguese journalist Nuno Luz discussed the possibility of Atletico Madrid joining the race for Cristiano Ronaldo besides claiming Barcelona to be the last resort for the Manchester United forward.

The Portugal international is currently training alone in Lisbon and has not joined the rest of the United squad. The 37-year old reportedly wants to leave the club after arguably being disappointed with the lack of transfer dealings this summer. The Portuguese, who is UCL's all-time top scorer, wants to play in the top-tier competition and is open to joining a club that can compete for titles.

Speaking to Radio Marca, Nuno Luz claimed that:

Cristiano [Ronaldo] is not very happy at Manchester United and wants to leave, he wants to find a solution and we will see what happens. In football, when you are not happy in a place you try to look for a solution. But it's not going to be easy. It's not going to be easy because it's not easy to find space for Cristiano Ronaldo, there aren't many teams with the financial conditions to sign him.

He further added that Real Madrid do not want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, while Barcelona are the last resort for the Portuguese. The journalist also claimed that Atletico Madrid are one of the suitors and the situation might appear vastly different in just a week’s time.

"Real Madrid don't want him and Barcelona would be the last resort. We have to look at the clubs with whom [Jorge] Mendes has more contacts and we mustn't forget Atletico Madrid. It's still early days. He is training here in Lisbon at the moment, but we will see what happens. Cristiano will have to go where Mendes gets him a solution, because there are not many clubs that have that capacity. What might seem impossible now in a week's time might not be.”

Cristiano Ronaldo does not have a lot of options this summer

While the 37-year-old is still considered a big draw for clubs in the transfer market, not many have the financial strength and team quality to attract Cristiano Ronaldo.The Portuguese is understood to be earning more than £26 million per year and is reluctant to take a big pay cut.

Additionally, Manchester United are a shadow of their former selves and have seen the departure of some of the big names like Paul Pogba and Juan Mata of late. However, with the club gunning for big names like Frenkie De Jong and Antony in the transfer market, it might still be possible to entice the 37-year-old into staying at Old Trafford.

Apart from Barcelona, the likes of Bayern Munich and Chelsea have also been linked, although his history in England and Spain leaves only the German giants as the viable option.