Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Real Madrid due to lack of ‘protection’ from club after tax scandal and wants Manchester United return
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CRISTIANO RONALDO wants to leave Real Madrid this summer — with the situation progressing from pure speculation to cold hard fact.
And he could be set to make an astonishing return to Manchester United.
There had been reports of his unrest in the Spanish capital for weeks before sensationally broke the story this morning.
Within hours,— who are seen as the club's mouthpiece — confirmed the reports.
A decision has been taken and it is irreversible.
Once he returns from the Confederations Cup duty with Portugal, Ronaldo will look to leave the Bernabeu.
claim Ronaldo's preferred destination would be an incredible return to United — with Paris Saint-Germain the only other European club willing to cough up the huge transfer fee and pay his wages.
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The combination could cost upward of £350million.
Clubs from the Chinese Super League would also be ready to take him — no matter the cost.
insist Real Madrid are aware of their No.7’s decision and understand, at the moment, there is nothing they can do to convince him to stay.
Their tactic is to patiently wait and hope the passing of time will eventually change his mind.
However, while it initially looked like a knee-jerk reaction, this is now a serious situation — and the origins can be traced back to much earlier than what is becoming a turbulent summer.
The 32-year-old enjoyed one of the best seasons of his incredible career as he netted 42 goals en route to winning the Champions League and La Liga.
However, he looks set to endure a difficult off-season away from football.
Shortly after it emerged he had fathered twins, Ronaldo was charged with defrauding the Spanish government of £13m in unpaid tax and appeared to receive the complete backing of Real Madrid over the accusation.
However, claim, despite this public show of support, Ronaldo doesn't feel "protected" by club.
Why doesn't Ronaldo feel 'protected'?
After Ronaldo was charged with defrauding the Spanish government of £13million — and Real Madrid publicly back their superstar.
However, privately, it was a little different.
El Confidencial claim that, as it emerged that news of Ronaldo's charge was going to break, the hierarchy contacted all the Spanish media outlets and requested them not to publish pictures of him in a Los Blancos shirt when covering the story.
And Los Blancos even excluded him for their new kit promo.
The reality, though, is that the problems started much earlier for Ronnie.
Despite the glory in 2016-17, it was really towards the end of the season where he truly shone — with 16 goals in the final ten games in all competitions.
The season had started off relatively quietly by his own extremely high standards and he incredibly became the subject of jeers from Real Madrid fans.
Cristiano Ronaldo, back in 2014
"I love Manchester.
"Everyone knows that.
"Manchester is in my heart.
"I left many good friends there.
"The supporters are amazing and I wish I can come back one day."
Which, even more remarkably, is something he has had to endure in patches throughout his Los Blancos career.
Even though he is possibly the great club’s best-ever player.
Ronaldo left United where he was an idol to join Real Madrid for a then world-record £80m.
At the Bernabeu he surpassed all expectations, breaking scoring records in almost every competition — almost every season.
Cristiano Ronaldo next club
Man United - 11/8
PSG - 2/1
Any Chinese Super League Club - 5/2
Any MLS Club - 7/1
Sporting Lisbon - 10/1
AC Milan - 20/1
Barcelona - 33/1
Ronaldo to leave Real Madrid this summer - 6/4
Ronaldo to join any Premier League Club this summer - 9/4
However, there is one thing that has always been missing: affection.
Despite his incredible feats on the pitch, Ronaldo never truly felt the love off it from the Real Madrid faithful.
It appears this summer’s turbulence is not the cause of the Ballon d’Or favourite’s desire to leave Spain.
But merely the final nail in the coffin.