Manchester United held talks with the Portugal international on Wednesday
(Image credit: PA)
Manchester United have failed to convince Cristiano Ronaldo to drop his request to leave the club, according to reports.
The Portugal international told United last month that he wishes to seek pastures new this summer.
Ronaldo only returned to Old Trafford in 2021 but he has already grown disillusioned with life back at the club.
The striker scored 18 goals in the Premier League last term, but that was not enough for United to qualify for the Champions League.
A sixth-place finish means they will instead be competing in the Europa League in Erik ten Hag's debut season, and Ronaldo does not want to be a part of it.
(Image credit: Mike Owen/Getty Images)
After sitting out the club's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to a "family issue", Ronaldo flew back to the UK this week.
He held face-to-face talks with United officials on Wednesday, as the club attempted to persuade him to stay put.
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But according to the Daily Mail, Ronaldo reiterated his desire to move on and even requested that United free him from his contract.
The 37-year-old has 11 months remaining on the deal he signed last summer, worth around £360,000 per week.
And with his agent, Jorge Mendes, struggling to find a buyer for his most high-profile client, Ronaldo wants to be let out of his contract so that any potential suitors would not have to pay a transfer fee.
United continue to insist that they are planning for the 37-year-old to be part of Ten Hag's squad this season.
But if Ronaldo continues to make life difficult for the club, they could change their mind between now and the end of the transfer window on September 1.
Nevertheless, it is highly unlikely that United would agree to Ronaldo's demand to be freed from a deal he willingly penned less than a year ago.
Ten Hag's team will begin the Premier League campaign against Brighton on August 7.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
