Ronaldo links show Real Madrid’s Mbappe uncertainty
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 3 May 2022 02:44 CDT
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a shock transfer back to Real Madrid from Manchester United amid reports that he will be surplus to requirements for Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has been broadly successful on a personal basis – he has top scored for the club – but in team terms it has been a resounding disappointment. Indeed, he is likely to experience the lowest league finish in his entire professional career.
With Ten Hag set to arrive from Ajax with a very defined philosophy of how he wishes to play, it is possible that the Portuguese great is pushed out the club after just a single season.
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Real Madrid are one of the clubs who could take advantage of that, with reports suggesting that a switch back to the Bernabeu, where he is the club’s record scorer, is a possibility.
Surely, though, this raises questions over the possibility of Madrid certainty of signing Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain.
Although the World Cup winner is a huge fan of the Portuguese, the logic of signing both in the same window seems flawed, particularly given that Karim Benzema is arguably the greatest No.9 in world football right now.
While Madrid do expect to free up a large portion of their wage allowance thanks to the end of Gareth Bale’s hefty contract, either Ronaldo or Mbappe alone would eat up a significant portion of such a salary.
Surely it must be one or the other, given the resources that Real Madrid presently boast.
For Ronaldo, then, even to be discussed shows the weakened position that Los Blancos seem to have on Mbappe, which has become evident in recent weeks as PSG rally to try to keep the France international star among their ranks for at least another year.
It must be said that Mbappe looks likelier to end up in Real Madrid colours next season than Ronaldo, but the fact the Portuguese is now being discussed as a transfer target would suggest that nothing is certain.
