Cristiano Ronaldo is set to pull on the famous red shirt of Manchester United at Old Trafford amid continued speculation over his future with the English giants.
The Portuguese superstar has indicated on social media that he will play in the Red Devils’ next pre-season game against Rayo Vallecano.
Ronaldo had been heavily linked with European giants Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain after requesting to leave the club.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have missed out on the signing of star centre-back Jules Kounde from Sevilla in what is undoubtedly a major blow for the club ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
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THE “KING” RETURNED TO UNITED
Manchester United fans will be able to witness Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ in the club’s next game, after weeks of speculation over his future.
While there are rumors about where he could play this season, the star striker has said he will play against La Liga side Rayo Vallecano on Sunday (local time).
Ronaldo, who missed the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to personal reasons, wants to leave the club he joined a year ago.
The 37-year-old was also left out of United’s squad for Saturday’s friendly with Atletico Madrid in Oslo.
But the superstar, who has 471 million followers on Instagram, commented on a post from a Ronaldo fan page to hint that he will be back with the Red Devils.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for Manchester United against Tottenham Hotspur in March. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Ronaldo wrote on Friday: “Domingo o rei joga”, which translates to “On Sunday the king plays”.
He had been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs after Manchester United missed out on Champions League qualification last season.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has recently been in talks with a return to boyhood club Sporting Lisboa, who also qualified for Europe’s biggest football competition.
Manager Erik ten Hag insisted earlier this month that Ronaldo was “not for sale”.
“We are planning Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that’s it and I’m really looking forward to working with him,” he said.
“I have read it, but what I am saying is that Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together.”
The former Real Madrid and Juventus player finished as United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals, but the campaign as a whole was a huge disappointment for the club.
United begin their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton on August 7.
CHELSEA LOSE THE FRENCH DEFENDER
Jules Kounde looked set to head to Stamford Bridge after Chelsea and Sevilla were close to a deal last weekend.
But the French centre-back has now agreed to a move to Barcelona, with the two clubs announcing it on Thursday.
“FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jules Olivier Kounde, pending the player’s medical examination and the signing of contracts,” the Catalan club said in a statement.
According to the Spanish press, the two clubs have reached an agreement for 50 million euros, which includes an additional 10 million euros in bonuses.
It will be Barça’s fifth signing of the pre-season following the arrival of key players such as Polish international Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich.
The 23-year-old is recovering from groin surgery following an operation last month but is expected to be available for the start of the new season.
MESSI CAN END HIS CAREER ‘WITH A BOAT SHIRT’
As reported yesterday, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi could end his career at his beloved Barcelona.
Messi left Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain last summer, after 17 years in Barcelona’s first team.
But the president of the club, Joan Laporta, hopes that the 35-year-old player can return to Barça before hanging up his boots.
“Messi’s time at Barca didn’t end the way we all would have liked,” he told the Spanish press during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
“I think that Barça owes a moral debt to Leo Messi. We would like the end of his career to come with the Barça shirt, to be applauded on all grounds, wherever he goes.” Laporta has clarified that “nothing has been discussed” with Messi, who has one season left on his contract with PSG with an option for another year.
“It was a temporary end (to his career at Barça) because I think we will make this wish come true.”
MCNEIL RETURNS TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE
Dwight McNeil returns to the Premier League with Everton after being relegated with Burnley last season.
The winger has reportedly agreed a five-year stay at Goodison Park in a deal worth $24 million.
The 22-year-old scored seven goals in 137 Premier League appearances for the Clarets.
McNeil, who started his career at Manchester United before joining the Burnley academy, is keen to work for Everton manager Frank Lampard.
“It’s an amazing feeling to sign. When I heard of Everton’s interest, I wanted to do it straight away for the club and what a good team they are,” said McNeil.
“I feel playing under a manager like Frank Lampard will help me increase my stats. That’s what I want to do and improve my game.
“Talking to the manager about what they want going forward, I was very excited and attracted to it. I wanted to be a part of it.”
Lampard has been keen to revamp Everton’s squad after saving them from relegation, following his arrival to replace Rafael Benitez in the second half of the season.
“I’ve been a big fan of Dwight for some time. He’s got great talent and he’s exactly the type of player we want to bring into the squad to help us improve,” said Lampard.
McNeil is Everton’s third closed signing, joining former Burnley team-mate James Tarkowski and Ruben Vinagre.