Transfer Centre

Atletico Madrid 'deny interest in Cristiano Ronaldo'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 19 July 2022

Atletico 'deny interest in Cristiano Ronaldo'

Atletico Madrid reportedly have little interest in trying to facilitate the signing of Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

Atletico Madrid reportedly have no intention of pursuing a deal for Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Since the beginning of July, the Portuguese superstar has been heavily linked with an exit from Old Trafford in pursuit of Champions League football.

However, a number of clubs - including Chelsea and Bayern Munich - are said to have no interest in trying to negotiate a deal for the 37-year-old.

Furthermore, United head coach Erik ten Hag has stated that the player remains a big part of his first-team plans ahead of his maiden campaign in the Premier League.

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, the Dutchman said: "I am looking forward to working with him. Cristiano is not for sale. He is in our plans. We want success together. I had a good talk. That is between Cristiano and me. What I can confirm is we had a really good conversation together."

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo applauds fans after the match, January 3, 2022 © Reuters

Nevertheless, it was claimed on Monday that Ronaldo had a desire to link up with Diego Simeone at Atletico, the rivals of his former club Real Madrid.

During a nine-year stint at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo scored 450 goals and won 15 pieces of silverware, including two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.

However, according to Marca, there is little chance of a deal materialising this summer, despite discussions at some level having been held.

The report says that Atletico have stated on numerous occasions that "it is not economically viable", effectively ending speculation of a surprise bid.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone before the match on April 9, 2022 © Reuters

Atletico are allegedly yet to make significant headway in their bid to sign Udinese's Nahuel Molina, who is being targeted to strengthen the team at right-back.

The report on Monday also indicated that Atletico may need to make a number of sales in order to facilitate an ambitious effort to sign Ronaldo.

As it stands, however, Simeone already has Joao Felix, Antoine Griezmann and the returning Alvaro Morata as his three forwards ahead of the new season.

With Ronaldo running out of realistic alternatives, the veteran, who scored 24 goals last season, appears increasingly likely to spend a second year at the Theatre Of Dreams.