Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of Manchester United’s squad for Sunday’s pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano, manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed.
Ronaldo was not included in United’s 21-man squad for Saturday’s 1-0 friendly defeat to Atletico Madrid in Oslo, and the striker still wants to leave the club after talks this week.
But in a comment on Instagram he suggested he would feature in United’s final pre-season friendly against Rayo at Old Trafford, saying: “Sunday the King plays.”
And Ten Hag has now confirmed that Ronaldo will be among his options on Sunday, saying: “He’ll be in the squad tomorrow. We’ll see how long he can play.”
Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes held meetings with United at Carrington on Tuesday, but his position has not changed and he wants to play for a Champions League club and win major trophies.
United do not want him to go, however, and Ronaldo has started training with the team having missed the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to family reasons.
Their potential options elsewhere are limited. Chelsea are no longer an option, while Bayern Munich and Atlético appeared to publicly rule themselves out this week.
Atletico fans displayed a banner reading “CR7 is not welcome” in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Atletico Madrid fans have unveiled a banner in protest against the prospect of signing Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo
While there are significant hurdles to overcome for Ronaldo to join Atletico, a source has told Sky Sports News that he has not completely ruled it out just yet.
Has Ronaldo run out of options?
Melissa Reddy, senior reporter for Sky Sports News:
“As we’ve seen on Instagram, Ronaldo has stayed fit, so there’s no concern from Manchester United about his fitness or fitness level – he’s one of the fittest players in world football.
“Ultimately, Ronaldo expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford, but he is running out of options, and it looks like he will actually have to stay. He may try to swing it towards the 25-per-cent pay cut cent of his contract. being waived by United, he may want to maneuver and articulate a new deal, we’ll have to wait and see. But it doesn’t look like Stamford Bridge is on his cards.
“Chelsea have distanced themselves from a deal for Ronaldo, as have Bayern Munich, Napoli and many other elite clubs that Jorge Mendes, who is Ronaldo’s agent, has tried to sell him to.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Danny Mills believes it could work in Erik ten Hag’s favor if Cristiano Ronaldo manages a move away from Manchester United
“A bid from Saudi Arabia is astronomical but ultimately it doesn’t give Cristiano Ronaldo what he wants, which is that legacy. He wants to achieve Champions League records that he believes no one else can achieve in the future.
“He wants to sign at the absolute highest level. Now it looks like he will have to stay at Manchester United every time because there are no big clubs.”
United not giving up on De Jong | Open to offers from Bailly
United are not giving up on the signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and are comfortable with the extensive deal they have with Barcelona, worth £72m including add-ons.
Image: Manchester United still have hope of signing Frenkie de Jong
The club will have their own deadline to reach an agreement before triggering moves for other targets. Sky Sports News have been told that United are keeping their alternatives “hot” if a deal for De Jong does not materialise.
United have also been interested in Ajax striker Antony in this transfer window, but not at the price Ajax want.
The club are open to offers for defenders Eric Bailly and Alex Telles.
There has been interest from Fulham, Trabzonspor and Serie A in Bailly. United would prefer a sale or at least a loan with a purchase obligation.
Telles’ playing time will be further limited next season following the arrivals of Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez, but no concrete offers have been made yet.
Follow the summer transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumors on our dedicated Transfer Hub blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the details, fixtures and analysis on Sky Sports News.