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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s private jet reportedly recently flew from Lisbon to Madrid amidst reports of his potential exit from Old Trafford.
As per The Times, the Portuguese wants to leave the club that he re-joined just over 10 months ago from Juventus. He is understood to be frustrated with the lack of transfer dealings at the club this summer. United have made just one signing so far - left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is also convinced the team cannot compete for titles next season. He will also miss playing in the Champions League for the first time since 2003 if he stays at Old Trafford.
He has understandably attracted interest from a number of top teams (via AS) like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and even Barcelona. The forward has already asked his agent Jorge Mendes to find him a solution quickly and is reportedly unwilling to take a big pay cut.
Ronaldo has not trained with the Red Devils for two days and was instead staying at a Lisbon hotel. However, according to Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepúlveda, Ronaldo’s private plane arrived in Lisbon and took off within minutes on July 6. The plane is understood to have landed in Madrid and there was no later activity in front of the player’s hotel later.
It is still unclear though if the former Real Madrid man was on the plane or not.
Cristiano Ronaldo inches closer to Manchester United exit
The Portugal captain is a Real Madrid legend. He is the Spanish club's all-time top goalscorer with 450 goals and won four Champions League titles, among other trophies with Los Blancos. Hence, a potential return to the Santiago Bernabeu cannot be ruled out just yet.
Regardless of his destination, Manchester United might find themselves in a lot of trouble if the Portuguese leaves. He was their top goalscorer last season, scoring 24 goals across all competitions. The Red Devils would've finished worse than the sixth position they managed in the Premier League had it not been for him.
The 37-year-old is still fitter than most players and hasn’t shown any signs of stopping anytime soon. Considering these are the final years of his career, he could perhaps be forgiven for wanting a few more trophies before hanging up his boots.
Manchester United look very unlikely to compete for titles anytime soon, and the Portuguese has every right to leave.
