Flamengo rule out Ronaldo transfer as ‘he would sit on the bench’
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
- 3 min read
The president of Flamengo has dismissed speculation linking the Brazilian side with a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting the Manchester United star would cost more than their entire squad just to sit on the bench.
Ronaldo has been a substitute for the majority of the season and was dropped by Erik ten Hag after walking out on United during their recent win over Tottenham.
The 37-year-old’s future has been uncertain ever since he asked to leave United in the summer and the recent incident has only prompted more rumours that he may depart Old Trafford in January.
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However, interest in Ronaldo has been minimal and Flamengo have been the latest club to rule out a move after president Rodolfo Landim joked that the Portuguese international and Neymar would be the club’s new signings.
“He is going to step into whose place?” Landim said. “I saw that Ronaldo received an offer of 242 million dollars for a two-year contract. If you divide that by 24 months, that's around 10 million dollars a month.
“So, we are talking about a value far above all Flamengo's payroll for Cristiano Ronaldo to sit on Pedro's or Gabigol's bench.”
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What does the future hold for Ronaldo?
Ronaldo scored on his return to the United first team in their Europa League victory over Sheriff and also started his side’s next game against West Ham, which they won 1-0.
Ten Hag stopped short of confirming that Ronaldo had apologised to his teammates for his actions but insisted that the forward would still be an important part of the first team going forward.
Ronaldo is still desperate to play Champions League football this season but will likely remain at United until his contract expires in the summer, with no obvious destinations forthcoming.
However, with Anthony Martial set to return from injury and the likes of Marcus Rashford in good form, Ronaldo could still see his first team opportunities limited before the World Cup.
A good display in Qatar could perhaps ignite some interest in Ronaldo but, with the Champions League entering into its last-16 stage, the likelihood of Europe’s elite making a mid-season move for him remains slim.
