Ronaldo snubbed again as Premier League side rules out transfer

Suraj Radia

• 16 Oct 2022 04:11 CDT
• 3 min read

Newcastle have become the latest club to rule out a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, with Eddie Howe claiming the Manchester United legend wouldn’t match up with the club’s long-term vision.

Ronaldo was pushing for an exit from United during the summer after the Red Devils missed out on Champions League football but remained at the club after failing to find any teams willing to sign him.

The 37-year-old has struggled to break into Erik ten Hag’s starting line-up this season and has been linked with an exit once again in January, however Newcastle have ruled themselves out as a potential destination.

Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Old Trafford, Howe praised Ronaldo’s goal record but, when asked whether he would be interested in signing the veteran, the Newcastle boss insisted he was only interested in signing younger players.

“We're trying to provide long-term growth, we've got a longer-term vision,” he said when asked about the possibility.

“At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we need to invest more in young players. That's probably a big part of our progression, we need to get the average age down.

“So, it might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make, but that's not under-estimating the quality of the player.”

Howe added: ‘He's an outstanding player. You look at his goal record last year (36 from 44 games), that was incredible. So, for me, the transfer has worked, it's been a success.

“He got massive goals last year and some really late, important goals in the Champions League. The quality of the player is unquestionable.”

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Where does Ronaldo’s future lie?

Ronaldo’s contract is set to expire in the summer, however United have an option to extend for another season, although they have yet to give any indication that they will make such a move.

The ex-Real Madrid forward is still desperate for Champions League football but, with the tournament set to be in its last-16 stage by January, the list of teams available to offer that opportunity this season is dwindling.

United were previously not willing to sell Ronaldo but they may alter their stance after the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial returned to goalscoring form this season.

Ronaldo remains one of the highest earners in the Premier League and United may look to get him off the wage bill in order to potentially strengthen the squad in January.

However, while teams such as Galatasaray have admitted they would be keen to sign Ronaldo, the player may not be interested in leaving United unless the opportunity is right for him, meaning he could see out his contract with the club.