Cristiano Ronaldo: Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich play down transfer links as Chelsea stall

After the Manchester United forward’s contentious negotiations over his future, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich have both publicly distanced themselves from the Portugal international.

Ronaldo, who missed United’s pre-season tour due to personal obligations, came back to Manchester on Tuesday to meet with the club’s management team and talk about his future. The 37-year-old is eager to leave United to play in the Champions League, but the club is reluctant to let him go.

There aren’t many suitors for Ronaldo; the three main clubs in the conversation are Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea, all of which have publicly ruled out a deal.

Despite this, rumours linking Ronaldo to all three continue to circulate, and Atletico and Bayern once more went on the record to state their positions.

Firstly, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo insisted: “I don’t know who has invented the story of Cristiano , but it is practically impossible for him to come.”

Atleti rejected a transfer because of the financial implications, but Bayern director Oliver Kahn chose to emphasise his opinion that Ronaldo would not be a good fit for the team.

“We discussed Cristiano Ronaldo internally,” Kahn admitted to Bild. “I consider him one of the greatest footballers ever.

“But we came to the conclusion that, despite our appreciation for Cristiano, he would not fit into our philosophy in the current situation.”

Whereas Todd Boehly of Chelsea is eager to complete a deal, but he has accepted manager Thomas Tuchel’s recommendation because he is not confident that the 37-year-old would fit well with his high-pressing team.

Boehly has given Tuchel time to consider other options, but he is prepared to launch a bid for Ronaldo if the manager cannot find a better option in the coming weeks.