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Cristiano Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, reportedly offered the Manchester United striker to Barcelona before they signed Robert Lewandowski.
According to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, the Portugal captain was even willing to accept a significant paycut to leave Old Trafford this summer.
Jacobs also claims that no club is close to signing the 37-year-old forward, which is helping the Red Devils maintain their 'not for sale' stance. New boss Erik ten Hag is hopeful of conducting clear-the-air talks with the veteran in the near future. This being in correlation with the star not traveling with his teammates for Manchester United's pre-season tour of Australia.
According to Sky Sports, the striker is keen to depart the Red Devils. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner to Barcelona would have been a hugely controversial move. This due to how he's considered one of Real Madrid's greatest ever players. He scored 450 goals in 438 appearances for Los Blancos across nine seasons.
Nonetheless, Lewandowski's move to the Camp Nou means the Blaugrana are no longer looking for a number nine, ruling out the Portuguese.
Pundit calls Manchester United fans "embarrasing" for blaming Cristiano Ronaldo for poor season
The forward scored 24 times in 38 appearances for the Red Devils following his return last summer. However, his goals were not enough for United to avoid their lowest ever Premier League points total.
Some fans believe the veteran is not working hard enough off the ball to help the rest of his team. Nevertheless, former Celtic forward Frank McAvennie is not buying that theory. The pundit told Football Insider:
"Ronaldo was moaning about players losing the ball and not trying to win it back last season. People were blaming him for the demise of Man United. Oh my god, he scored 20 odd goals. It’s embarrassing."
"They would rather have Martial or Rashford than Ronaldo. They should have thrived with someone like Ronaldo and [Edinson] Cavani beside them, but they didn’t. If the manager plays the same team as last year, United won’t win anything.“
