Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo is open to the idea of returning to Italy’s Serie A, English outlet The Sun has claimed (via The Independent).
Cristiano Ronaldo emerged as Manchester United’s leading scorer in the 2021-22 season, with him netting 24 goals for the club in 38 games across competitions. This season, however, he has had a difficult time finding his feet, scoring only twice in 12 games in all competitions. Ronaldo has also sparked controversy with his behavior, recently getting dropped for the 1-1 draw with Chelsea (October 22) as punishment for his walkout in the Tottenham Hotspur clash.
According to the aforementioned report, Ronaldo wishes to leave Old Trafford, presumably sooner rather than later, and is open to a possible return to Serie A. Current league leaders Napoli are reportedly interested in bringing him back to Italy.
Meanwhile, Manchester United have already identified Cristiano Ronaldo’s alternatives. Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrick Schick is reportedly their first choice. Lille’s Jonathan David and Lyon’s Moussa Dembele are also being considered for the job.
The Sun’s report further adds that Chelsea do not wish to sign Ronaldo anymore. Instead, they are solely focused on signing his compatriot and AC Milan ace Rafael Leao.
Before finding his way back to Manchester United, Ronaldo spent three seasons at Juventus. He scored 101 goals in 134 appearances for the club across competitions, with 81 of those goals coming in Serie A (98 appearances).
Fabrizio Romano claims Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t wish to leave Europe
Renowned Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has played down talks that Ronaldo is contemplating joining a Major League Soccer (MLS) club. Romano reminded everyone that Ronaldo had an offer from a Saudi Arabian club in August but rejected them due to his European ambitions.
Insisting Ronaldo wanted to continue in Europe, Romano told CaughtOffside:
“I’ve been asked about stories about the MLS, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s priority has always been to continue in Europe. He was approached by a club in Saudi Arabia in August but he wanted to continue in Europe. As of now, there are still no different indications.
“I’m sure his agent will explore the market in the next 1-2 months and we will see what happens.”