Manchester United are said to be open to offloading Ronaldo in the January transfer window – could Beckham's Inter Miami be a possible destination for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner?
(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham has reportedly offered Cristiano Ronaldo a way out of Manchester United, as speculation surrounding the striker's future rumbles on.
It's been three months since Ronaldo first told United he wanted to leave, and it's fair to say he's not currently enjoying a high point of his career.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has mostly had to make do with a spot on the bench under Erik ten Hag this season – he didn't even get on the pitch in last weekend's Manchester derby – prompting talk of a January departure, after no transfer materialised in the summer.
Beckham's Inter Miami entered MLS in 2018 (Image credit: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
Earlier this week, The Telegraph reported that United would let Ronaldo move on in the New Year should a suitable offer be put on the table.
Could Beckham – who is also Inter Miami's president – come to the rescue, then? According to the Daily Star, the Florida club are ready to give Ronaldo a contract worth £30m a year to bring him to MLS – where Beckham himself spent five years with LA Galaxy.
However, the report adds that Inter Miami – who are coached by another ex-United player from the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Phil Neville – wouldn't want to pay a transfer fee for Ronaldo, who turns 38 in February.
Clearly, that would be less than ideal for United, but by keeping Ronaldo they'd run the risk of having an increasingly unsettled player in the squad. If he's hardly playing, is it worth hanging onto him? He's set to become a free agent at the end of the season anyway.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Ronaldo watches on from the bench during the Manchester derby (Image credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Ronaldo made only his fourth start of 2022/23 as United won 3-2 at Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League on Thursday night – and it's hard to see him starting too many of 10 remaining games between now and the World Cup.
That tournament – which may well be his last – might be just what the Portugal captain needs, though, ahead of a potential premature end to his frustrating second spell at Old Trafford.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
