Cristiano Ronaldo suffers fresh blow as Napoli become latest team to rubbish transfer talks for Man Utd star
CRISTIANO RONALDO has been left further red-faced following a public snub from Napoli.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner wanted to leave Manchester United this summer but failed to find a club willing to take him on.
Serie A big boys Napoli were said to be in discussions to sign Ronaldo before the window closed last week, although sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli insists that wasn't the case.
He said: “I’m sorry to say that but we’ve never been in real negotiations with Man United to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer."
Ronaldo was desperate to leave Old Trafford in order to play Champions League football.
United initially refused to sell the Portuguese forward but eventually changed their stance.
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But he was snubbed by several of Europe's big clubs, including United's Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid also decided against signing the 37-year-old, with the latter's fans publicly urging the club not to sign him.
Ronaldo has started just one of United's six Premier League matches so far this season due to his lack of a proper pre-season.
But manager Erik ten Hag has refused to guarantee the superstar will be at The Theatre of Dreams after the January transfer window closes.
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He said: "As we said, Ronaldo is here. And, as we all know, he didn't have a pre-season.
"You cannot miss pre-season. It's a base. Especially with the game we play, the way we want to play.
"We don't play in the same way we did last year, there is no comparison.
"This demands cooperation and it demands certain positioning in - and out - of possession. The other thing is his fitness.
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"But it's still early in the season. We have a squad. We have more than 11 players - and that's what you're seeing now."
Ronaldo and his Manchester United team-mates will be back in action on Thursday, welcoming Real Sociedad to Old Trafford for their first Europe League Group E fixture.