"The rumor takes more height than talking 50,000 times and that bothers me" - Club president explains why signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United was never an option

Olympique Marseille CEO Pablo Longoria explained why signing Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer transfer window of 2022 was never an option for his club. He feld Ronaldo's extravagant wages could have upset some players at the club.

Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford was the subject of constant speculation throughout the summer. However, the legendary Portuguese striker remained with the Red Devils as no team wanted to acquire the Portuguese this summer.

One club that was tipped to be a potential suitor for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was Ligue 1 outfit Olympique Marseille.

The French club's CEO has now addressed those outlandish rumors. Longoria recently told RMC that there was no basis to those claims of the United striker arriving at Marseille. Rather, he stated that it went more viral on social media than having any real possibility.

I didn't pay too much attention to that. I thought it was more info from social media. I've never seen or heard anything concrete. I never approached this situation as something truthful. It wasn't the Ronaldo rumor that upset me." (h/t le10sport.com)

Longoria further pointed out that signing a player of Ronaldo's stature takes their payroll to an astronomical level. That is something that the club are not too keen on presently.

"I was upset on the day of the Champions League draw, yes. We try to work in serenity, we explain the project, but the rumor takes more height than talking 50,000 times and that bothers me. We repeated that we wanted a balanced payroll, so good."

Olympique Marseille had a productive transfer window in the summer. They managed to sign a total of 12 players during the window, including Luis Suarez, Pau Lopez, Matteo Guendouzi, and Jordan Veretout.

They currently sit in the second spot of the Ligue 1 table after collecting 16 points from their first six league games of the season. While they are tied with PSG on points, the Parisians have a better goal difference (20). Marseille's goal difference is 10.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag vows to be Cristiano Ronaldo's 'friend and teacher'

The Portuguese striker has been coming off the bench for United this season

Ronaldo only featured as a substitute when Manchester United beat Arsenal 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday. Ahead of the game, Erik ten Hag stated that Ronaldo missed the pre-season and might be subject to injury if not taken care of properly.

"I will be his friend and sometimes I will be his teacher. It depends on the situation. As we all know he didn’t have the pre-season and you cannot miss the pre-season." (h/t goal.com)

After a tumultuous start to the season, Manchester United seem to be on the upswing with wins over Liverpool and Arsenal. However, the Portuguese legend has played a limited role in his team's campaign so far.

He has come of the bench in five out of the six matches this season, all in the second half. In total, he has played 207 minutes so far in the Premier League.