Ronaldo asks to leave Man Utd: Napoli, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern… MLS? CR7’s transfer options

The
Portuguese
superstar
has
played
in
Europe’s
elite
competition
for
19
consecutive
seasons
since
first
moving
to
United
from
Sporting
CP
in
2003
and
stands
as
the
highest-ever
scorer
in
the
tournament
with
140
goals.

However,
United’s
sixth-placed
finish
in
the
Premier
League
last
season
means
that
Erik
ten
Hag
takes
over
a
side
who
are
set
for
Europa
League
football
–
and
it
is
now
reported
that
Ronaldo
is
pushing
for
an
exit.

If
he
does
get
his
wish,
there
are
only
a
few
likely
destinations
for
the
37-year-old
and
Stats
Perform
has
assessed
some
of
them.

Napoli

A
return
to
Serie
A
has
been
touted
for
Ronaldo,
with
The
Athletic
naming
Napoli
as
potential
suitors
–
they
have
a
void
in
their
team
following
the
exit
of
Lorenzo
Insigne.

In
Ronaldo’s
three
years
in
Italy
with
Juventus,
no
player
scored
more
Serie
A
goals
than
his
tally
of
81
and,
despite
spending
the
past
year
with
Manchester
United,
only
Ciro
Immobile
has
scored
more
Serie
A
goals
since
2018.

Napoli,
having
finished
third
in
Serie
A
last
year
and
nine
points
ahead
of
Juventus,
would
match
Ronaldo’s
desire
to
play
Champions
League
football
–
although
the
club’s
finances
and
Ronaldo’s
wage
demands
may
prove
to
be
restrictive.

Chelsea

Fresh
from
Todd
Boehly’s
takeover,
Chelsea
are
looking
to
rejuvenate
the
squad
and
finances
do
not
appear
to
be
a
problem,
given
they
have
allowed
Romelu
Lukaku
to
return
to
Inter
on
loan
just
a
year
after
spending
a
club-record
£97.5million
on
the
Belgium
forward.

Interestingly
enough,
it
has
been
reported
that
Ronaldo’s
agent,
Jorge
Mendes,
has
already
met
with
the
new
Chelsea
owner
this
summer
and
the
Blues
are
in
need
of
a
striker
having
lost
Lukaku,
with
Timo
Werner
performing
better
from
a
deeper
role.

Whether
Ronaldo
would
accept
a
move
to
a
Premier
League
rival,
given
his
status
at
Old
Trafford,
is
the
biggest
question
regarding
any
hopes
the
Blues
may
have
in
signing
the
veteran
forward
and,
if
he
is
keen,
United
would
likely
demand
a
significant
return
on
the
investment
they
paid
last
year.

Chelsea
also
have
interest
in
Raheem
Sterling
and
Leeds
United
attacker
Raphinha,
but
Ronaldo
would
be
a
statement
of
intent
for
the
new
owner.

Sporting
CP

With
a
United
homecoming
already
under
his
belt,
could
Sporting
secure
a
sensational
return
of
their
own
and
bring
Ronaldo
back
to
where
it
all
began?
It’s
certainly
not
beyond
the
realm
of
possibility.

Second
in
Primeira
Liga
last
season,
Sporting
have
the
Champions
League
football
that
Ronaldo
craves
and
he
is
already
a
great
at
the
club
–
though
his
success
has
come
in
his
years
since
he
left
his
home
country
in
2003.

Ronaldo
had
just
a
single
season
in
the
senior
squad
with
Sporting
before
he
moved
to
United,
so
he
may
feel
he
has
unfinished
business
–
and
it
is
a
side
that
can
definitely
compete,
having
ended
a
20-year
barren
spell
without
a
league
title
in
the
2020-21
season.

Bayern
Munich

Ronaldo
has
shone
in
three
of
Europe’s
top-five
leagues,
the
Premier
League,
La
Liga
and
Serie
A,
with
only
the
Bundesliga
and
Ligue
1
left
standing
–
and
Bayern
have
been
touted
as
potential
suitors,
though
Paris
Saint-Germain
are
not
said
to
be
interest
(sorry,
no
link
up
with
Lionel
Messi
just
yet,
sports
fans).

With
Robert
Lewandowski’s
future
at
the
Allianz
Arena
continuing
to
be
shrouded
in
speculation,
it
may
fall
into
place
for
the
Poland
international
to
get
what
he
wants,
a
move
to
Barcelona,
and
for
Bayern
to
land
Ronaldo
as
his
replacement.

In
the
past
five
years,
no
player
has
scored
more
league
goals
than
Lewandowski
(193)
but
Ronaldo,
along
with
the
addition
of
Sadio
Mane,
should
be
able
to
fill
any
goalscoring
void
that
would
be
left
in
the
event
of
a
departure.

Real
Madrid

Another
possible
return
destination…
could
Ronaldo
wind
back
up
in
the
Spanish
capital?

The
Champions
League
winners
are
hardly
in
need
of
another
superstar
forward,
given
the
incredible
form
of
Karim
Benzema,
but
bringing
Ronaldo
back
to
the
club
where
he
scored
450
goals
would
surely
appeal
to
president
Florentino
Perez?

Madrid
missed
out
on
Kylian
Mbappe,
much
to
their
frustration,
and
having
Ronaldo
in
their
side
would
plug
a
gap,
so
to
speak,
until
the
PSG
forward
is
further
into
the
new,
three-year
contract
he
signed
with
the
French
club
in
May.

MLS

Champions
League
football
has
been
documented
as
the
reason
for
Ronaldo’s
desire
to
leave
but,
if
such
offers
are
not
forthcoming,
could
a
move
to
MLS
be
on
the
cards?

Financial
rules
and
designated
player
spots
would
make
a
switch
complicated,
with
there
only
being
a
handful
of
teams
likely
to
be
able
to
make
a
move
possible
–
likely
to
be
those
in
Los
Angeles,
Miami
and
New
York.

See
you
soon,
Los
Angeles.

@LAFC
@LAFC3252
pic.twitter.com/GVP8WVWLPe

—
Gareth
Bale
(@GarethBale11)

June
25,
2022

With
the
2026
World
Cup
taking
place
in
North
America,
bringing
Ronaldo
to
MLS
would
raise
the
profile
of
the
league
further
–
and
would
undoubtedly
be
the
biggest
acquisition
for
the
league
since
David
Beckham’s
move
to
LA
Galaxy
in
2007.

That
move
marked
the
start
of
a
new
era
of
soccer
in
the
US
and
has
evolved
considerably
since,
though
Ronaldo’s
arrival
would
send
things
to
a
completely
new
level.

It
has
been
reported
that
United
do
not
wish
to
sell
Ronaldo,
but
with
his
contract
being
up
next
year,
could
a
switch
to
North
America
be
likely?