Cristiano Ronaldo's potential options for a January transfer

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
• 4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future looks increasingly destined to be away from Manchester United.

Following the 37-year-old storming down the tunnel before the end of his club’s Premier League match with Tottenham on Wednesday, having refused to go on as a late replacement, the repercussions have been unsurprisingly severe.

Ronaldo trained with the Under-21 team on Friday, with Man Utd having indicated some hours earlier that he would not be up for selection for Saturday’s Premier League match with Chelsea.

MORE: Man Utd consider releasing Ronaldo in January

Clearly, the best solution for all parties is for the player to find a new club.

Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes attempted to do this tirelessly in the summer but came up short. Are there any better solutions now?

Firstly, it’s worth outlining the type of team that Ronaldo wants to move to. He wants a team capable of challenging for trophies, ideally at an elite European level. Given his increasingly peripheral status at Man Utd, though, it would be little surprise if he were willing to cast the net a little wider in January than in the summer.

FRENKIE: Xavi deals Man Utd transfer hopes a blow with De Jong hint

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Who needs Cristiano Ronaldo?

There are a couple of major clubs who are presently looking for a centre forward, and at the midpoint of the season, a proven veteran like Ronaldo could be an attractive option.

PSG have been spurred by Kylian Mbappe’s discontent to look for a forward. The idea of Ronaldo signing for the club had been quietly pushed to one side in the summer, but as a short-term solution, he could be more attractive, particularly if Man Utd were to waive a transfer fee.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, did discuss the idea of signing Ronaldo as a Robert Lewandowski replacement in the summer before rejecting the idea. With the Bavarians lagging in the Bundesliga and suffering without a No.9, his name will surely be discussed once again.

A return to Sporting CP or a switch to MLS must also been increasingly attractive given the humiliation that Ronaldo is suffering presently in Manchester.

Longer shots

More speculatively, FootballTransfers revealed in the summer that Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was keen on signing Ronaldo but did not due to push back from then-manager Thomas Tuchel. The Portuguese will again be a subject for discussion at Stamford Bridge, but United are unlikely to allow him to readily depart to a top-four rival. Meanwhile, the Blues picked up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang late in the window, albeit he is already being discussed as a player who could depart in January.

Real Madrid look a little short of options in the No.9 role beyond Karim Benzema, but while Ronaldo will doubtless be linked with a Bernabeu return, this does not seem an option that the club are keen to pursue.

Like everything in the transfer market, though, Ronaldo’s situation is fluid. Injuries could force the hand of a team, while the packed scheduled owing to the mid-season World Cup could also entice a signing from an unexpected source.

With the relationship between Man Utd and Ronaldo increasingly poor, a January transfer seems likelier than it ever did in the summer, even if the player’s destination is not yet clear.