La Liga giants meet with Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes as manager gives go-ahead to sign Manchester United superstar - Reports

Atletico Madrid have reportedly met with Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes to discuss a potential move for the player.

TYC Sports has reported that Atletico manager Diego Simeone is eager to manage Ronaldo and wants his club to sign the Portuguese superstar.

It is worth noting that the Rojiblancos faithful have made it abundantly clear that they are not in favor of signing Ronaldo due to his history with Real Madrid. However, Edu Aguirre, a Spanish journalist and Ronaldo's close friend, has reported that Simeone has already made contact to sign the forward this summer.

Additionally, the Atletico hierarchy are rumored to have met with Mendes to work out a transfer.

Ronaldo reportedly wants to leave Manchester United this summer in pursuit of Champions League football in the 2022-23 campaign. The Red Devils will be competing in the Europa League this season after finishing sixth in the Premier League last term. With less than two weeks left for the transfer window to shut, the Portuguese forward's future remains up in the air.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has also been linked with moves to Borussia Dortmund and his former club Sporting CP. Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea were also linked with Ronaldo earlier in the summer.

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Diego Simeone refuses to shed light on Cristiano Ronaldo rumors

Simeone was asked about a possible move for Ronaldo prior to his team's La Liga opener against Getafe last weekend. The Atletico Madrid boss gave a professional answer and said (translated from Spanish):

"It is normal that the controversy, the turns and the intentions so that one positions oneself or on one side or the other has to be and it is part of what you need to work on. As for me, I think of Getafe, of the footballers who are here inside and the only thing that matters to me and worries me is that."

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Ronaldo's return to Manchester United has not worked out

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford last summer in a bid to help the club win silverware. However, the 2021-22 campaign was a massive flop for the Manchester United as they finished sixth in the league and failed to go deep into any of the cup competitions.

Ronaldo, however, impressed on an individual level, netting 24 goals in 38 games across competitions, but those numbers didn't contribute to the team's success. He still has another year left on his current contract at Old Trafford. Manchester United notably have the option of extending his deal by another 12 months if they want to.