Cristiano Ronaldo ‘issued two-club transfer ultimatum’ of Chelsea or Bayern Munich to
agent Jorge Mendes before Manchester United exit
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly told
Jorge Mendes he wanted to join Bayern Munich or Chelsea when he was looking to leave
Manchester United.
Following his first season back at Old Trafford in the summer of
2024, Ronaldo had expressed his desire to move on given United hadn't qualified for the
Champions League.
2 Ronaldo now plays for Al-Nassr, but reports suggest that's not
where he imagined he'd play next Credit: Getty
Bayern and Chelsea were heavily linked
with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner at the time.
Now, according to Goal, the
centre-forward actually identified the two clubs as the only teams he wanted to
join.
It's understood he relayed this information to his now ex-agent, Mendes, who had
managed his remarkable career at the very highest level up until the start of this
year.
However, no deals ever materialised before the start of the 2024/23 season, and
Ronaldo looked destined to stay at Man United until the expiration of his contract at
the end of the campaign.
After starting just ten games and scoring three goals before
the break for the World Cup, not to mention being banished from Erik ten Hag's squad
due to refusing to come on against Tottenham, Ronaldo eventually left Man United
following his explosive TalkTV interview.
Following his run to the World Cup
quarter-finals with Portugal, the 37-year-old then signed a £177million-per-year
contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
2 Ronaldo had his sights on Chelsea and
Bayern following the conclusion of his first season back at Man United Credit:
Getty
And Spanish outlet El Mundo reports that professional ties broke down between
Ronaldo and Mendes when the agent was unable to deliver the move that his client
demanded.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly had been said to be interested in taking the
wantaway Man United star last summer, but then-manager Thomas Tuchel wasn't
keen.
Meanwhile, Bayern CEO Olivier Khan said the move for Ronaldo would not have 'fit
their philosophy' following internal discussions.
Ronaldo has since made his debut for
Al-Nassr, as well as playing and scoring in a Saudi All-Star XI clash against Paris
Saint-Germain and rival Lionel Messi.