Manchester United

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag criticized players who left Old Trafford before the end of Sunday's friendly fixture against Rayo Vallecano, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

ESPN's Rob Dawson reported Ronaldo and full-back Diogo Dalot were among the players photographed leaving the stadium before the final whistle, which drew the ire of United's new coach on Tuesday.

"It is unacceptable for everyone," Ten Hag told Viaplay Sport Netherlands. "I am telling them it's unacceptable. We are a team. A squad. Until the end we stay together."

Ronaldo has spent most of the summer awaiting a transfer that would allow him to compete in the UEFA Champions League this season, but a move hasn't materialized.

AS' Manuel Sainz reported Monday (via Alex Turk of the Daily Express), the 37-year-old forward's agent, Jorge Mendes, has been trying to generate transfer talks with top European clubs to no avail.

Meanwhile, the club has maintained there are no plans to sell Ronaldo, even if interest does arrive, and that stance didn't change following Sunday's walkout, per Jeremy Cross and Jacob Leeks of the Daily Mirror.

So, barring a massive twist in the coming days, the five-time Ballon d'Or will remain on the Red Devils roster as they open the Premier League term Sunday by hosting Brighton & Hove Albion.

Ronaldo recorded 18 goals and three assists across 30 Premier League appearances for United last season. He added six goals in seven UCL matches.

His return to Old Trafford, where he previously played from 2003 through 2009, came after stints with Real Madrid and Juventus. He's two goals away from 700 across all competitions in his club career.

The start of the new season will carry added importance as he attempts to find peak form before joining the Portugal national team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November.

For now, that effort appears it'll happen under Ten Hag with United despite his desire to find a transfer solution.

Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United lasted about 45 minutes before things potentially turned tense again.

According to ESPN's Rob Dawson, Ronaldo left Sunday's preseason friendly against Rayo Vallecano before the match concluded after he was substituted at halftime.

Per that report, "He was pictured leaving Old Trafford before the final whistle, with United sources afterward refusing to comment on whether his early exit was sanctioned by manager Erik ten Hag."

Jamie Jackson of the Guardian added: "As half-time neared there appeared a mild contretemps between Ten Hag and Ronaldo during a break in play: The manager seemed to be addressing some positional deficiency which the player shrugged. In a period that petered out this was the last noteworthy sighting of Ronaldo as Ten Hag swapped him for Diallo for the second half."

Per Dawson, Ronaldo has been seeking an exit this summer to secure Champions League football for the upcoming season. Manchester United finished sixth last year and didn't qualify.

Thus far, however, no transfer has occurred, and publicly, the club have maintained that they want to keep the iconic striker.

"We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season, and that's it. I'm looking forward to working with him," Ten Hag told reporters earlier in July. "I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale; he is in our plans, and we want success together."

Clubs such as Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Ronaldo's first club, Sporting CP, have been linked to the forward in transfer rumors throughout the summer. All could offer Champions League football.

Thus far—perhaps because of Ronaldo's large wages, or United's reported disinclination to sell—no move has materialized.

Ronaldo appeared resigned to the fact that he would be remaining at Old Trafford in a series of social media posts over the weekend:

But Sunday's early departure—at least until United offer clarity on the situation—is only going to re-stoke the flames that Ronaldo is still pushing to leave the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo reiterated to Manchester United executives this week his preference to join another club this summer, according to The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell.

Per that report, Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, is "working to establish exit routes from Old Trafford, and The Athletic understands talks have been held with Sporting Lisbon," Ronaldo's former club that finished second in Portugal's Primeira Liga last season and will have Champions League football this year.

A transfer to his first professional club may not be realistic, however. As Whitwell noted, "finding the finance for such a move—including covering his high wages—would be complex and it is said head coach Ruben Amorim has reservations about bringing Ronaldo into his team given the huge change in dynamic the 37-year-old would inevitably cause."

Additionally, Manchester United executives remain uninterested in selling Ronaldo this summer, per that report.

But while Ronaldo reported Tuesday to United for medical testing, he has been training away from the team and didn't join them on the preseason tour. With the club's Premier League season opening Aug. 7 against Brighton Hove & Albion, Ronaldo's absence has become a major concern.

That is compounded by the fact that new manager Erik ten Hag is attempting to institute his system ahead of the season. Ronaldo hasn't worked with his teammates or his new manager on the pitch, though he has been training in Portugal, per Whitwell.

Ronaldo's combination of wages and limitations on the pitch—while he scored 18 goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season, he doesn't offer the defensive work rate needed for the popular high-pressing style many managers want to play—have seemed to keep high-profile clubs at bay this summer.

While Ronaldo wants Champions League football, clubs like Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Chelsea have reportedly—or in some cases, very publicly—declined to pursue him.

It's all a major concern for United, which already is thin up top at the striker position and hoping to avoid another disastrous campaign like last season in which it finished sixth.

Some resolution on Ronaldo's situation would go a long way toward aiding that effort.

Cristiano Ronaldo spent a good portion of his career starring for La Liga giants Real Madrid. And despite rumors that he might join one of that club's primary rivals, Atletico Madrid, as he reportedly seeks an exit from Manchester United this summer, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo put a halt to that conversation on Tuesday.

"I've said it many times. I don't know who invented the story about Cristiano. But I'll tell you, it's practically impossible for him to come to Atletico Madrid," he told reporters.

Cerezo told reporters last month that Atletico needed to clear around €40 million ($40.5 million) from departures in order to bring new players in this summer. The club has signed Axel Witsel on a free transfer, while right-back Nahuel Molina appears poised to be the next addition.

Ronaldo's name has popped up alongside a number of prominent European clubs thus far in the summer transfer window. Bayern Munich, despite losing superstar forward Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, didn't bite:

ESPN's Julien Laurens reported on July 12 that PSG were given the chance to bring Ronaldo on board after his agent, Jorge Mendes, met with sporting director Luis Campos and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. They turned down the opportunity.

Two days later, ESPN's James Olley reported that Chelsea—in need of a central forward—took themselves out of the running for Ronaldo as well.

And now Atletico Madrid are pulling out of contention.

Throughout the entire saga, Manchester United has maintained that it isn't interested in letting the 37-year-old forward leave.

"We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that's it," United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters earlier in July. "I'm looking forward to working with him. I have read [that he wants to leave], but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together."

Ronaldo hasn't lost his scoring touch. He found the back of the net 18 times and added three assists in Premier League action last season.

But Ronaldo's age, wages and his inability (or unwillingness) to operate as a defensive contributor in a high-pressing tactical system has perhaps soured him for high-profile teams around Europe. At this stage, Ronaldo is an expensive poacher, capable of scoring goals but offering less in other areas of the game.

So as the summer wears on, a return to Manchester United feels more and more likely.

Superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo will reportedly discuss his future with Manchester United with club officials at the training ground on Tuesday.

According to ESPN, Ronaldo formally requested that Manchester United let him leave the club this summer so that he can compete in the UEFA Champions League next season. United missed out on the Champions League after a sixth-place finish in the English Premier League.

Ronaldo was granted permission by the club to skip its tour of Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, meaning he has not yet worked with new manager Erik ten Hag, who replaced interim manager Ralf Rangnick in May.

Last year, Ronaldo signed a deal with Manchester United running through June 2023, marking the start of his second stint with the club.

He previously played for Man Utd from 2003-2009, scoring 118 goals across all competitions, before moving to Real Madrid.

It was with Real Madrid that Ronaldo established himself as an all-time great, scoring 450 goals in 438 matches across all competitions. He followed that up with 101 goals in 134 matches over three seasons with Juventus.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo reportedly has limited transfer options even though Manchester United are open to accommodating him if a club would be willing to take on the final year of his contract.

Per ESPN, Manchester United want to move him outside the EPL, but Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have ruled out the possibility of acquiring him. Even EPL rival Chelsea are against the idea of pursuing him.

While Ronaldo can still contribute at a high level, as evidenced by his 18 goals in 30 EPL matches last season, his £500,000-per-week contract will be the main sticking point for most clubs.

Ronaldo is a five-time winner of the UEFA Champions League, but the Portuguese star has not hoisted the trophy since 2018.

If Manchester United are unable to find a willing taker, Ronaldo may have to go without the Champions League this season, play out his deal with Man Utd, and attempt to get them back in the Champions League field for next season.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way back to England to have discussions with the club regarding his future, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.

"Sources around the matter suggest it is increasingly likely that Ronaldo remains at United, but there is still a lack of clarity about the situation," per Ornstein.

Ronaldo didn't join the Red Devils as they embarked on their preseason tours of Australia and Thailand. Ornstein and Adam Crafton reported on July 3 the 37-year-old had communicated his desire to leave the club should a reasonable transfer offer surface.

A move would benefit both parties.

Playing on a club in the Europa League may not be all that attractive for the Portuguese star at this stage of his career. On the other side, first-year United manager Erik ten Hag would have one fewer headache as he attempts to right the ship at Old Trafford.

The problem is, the market for Ronaldo's services may not be all that strong.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner led Manchester United with 18 goals in the Premier League, but his overall contributions didn't exactly lift up the side. His presence also pushed younger stars such as Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford more to the periphery.

If you're a major European club with aspirations of winning the Champions League or your domestic league, Ronaldo may not be worth the hassle anymore.

Chelsea reportedly decided against a move and signed Raheem Sterling. Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn ruled it out as well. Per the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, Ronaldo's agent has worked behind the scenes to accelerate a deal with Atletico Madrid, but that has come to nothing so far.

Unless Ronaldo and Manchester United are willing to rip up his contract—one that pays him an estimated £510,000 a week—they might have to make do for this season.

Despite persistent rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking a transfer away from Manchester United this summer, his new manager, Erik ten Hag, suggested to reporters on Monday not only that the star striker may stay, but that he could even extend his contract.

"I am well informed he also has an option [to extend his contract until 2024], no?" he said, per Rob Dawson of ESPN. "Of course, I have signed here for three years, but in football, it's short-term as well. We have to win from the start. So I don't look that far ahead. I have a strategy, it's a process, it takes time, but in the end, we have to make sure from the outset there is a winning team."

It would certainly appear that ten Hag is set on having Ronaldo at forward for this coming season.

"We all know Ronaldo is a top professional and he will be fit, that is the last concern I have. He is training," he added while speaking to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic. "I have set my demand. We want to play in a certain way. A top player can contribute and Ronaldo is an absolute top player in our squad. Cristiano is capable of doing that. In his career, he has shown everything."

Granted, much of this could be posturing on ten Hag's part to help United get the best possible return for Ronaldo if a transfer is negotiated and a top European club is willing to match Ronaldo's reportedly steep contract.

The latest club linked to Ronaldo have been Atletico Madrid:

Reports have suggested that Ronaldo wants to play Champions League football next year, hence his reported desire to seek a move away from Old Trafford. Add in the fact that United reportedly were a mess last season under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, finishing just sixth in the Premier League, and it wouldn't come as a shock if Ronaldo wanted a change in scenery.

But replacing him wouldn't be easy. While Ronaldo doesn't offer much in the way of pressing at this stage in his career and is far better served as a central forward than the winger role he played in his prime, the 37-year-old still managed 18 goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season.

The once dynamic Ronaldo is more a poacher at this stage in his career, though given his scoring record, he's clearly effective playing that style.

Ronaldo's game may conflict with the high-pressing style and 4-3-3 formation ten Hag often employed at United, though as Whitwell noted, the new manager has set up United in a 4-2-3-1 upon his arrival to better suit the options available to him.

This ongoing saga will remain one of the major storylines of the summer until the transfer window closes. But for now, it appears United's new manager is set on keeping the legendary forward at Old Trafford.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was absent Monday for the club's offseason training because of family reasons, according to ESPN's Rob Dawson.

Ronaldo's future at United has come into doubt in recent days, with Dawson reporting Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Napoli have all registered some level of interest in acquiring him.

Mark Ogden of ESPN reported Ronaldo's absence from preseason training could extend well beyond Monday: "It is also unclear as to whether Ronaldo will fly to Bangkok on Friday with the rest of the squad for the start of United's 2½-week tour of Thailand and Australia."

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, representatives for the 37-year-old have continued discussions with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and club co-director Behdad Eghbali.

They are "thought to be intrigued by the concept of recruiting such an iconic figure," per Ornstein.

Ogden cast doubt on whether Manchester United would be willing to send Ronaldo to a domestic rival:

Sources have told ESPN, however, that United would be open to offloading Ronaldo, 37, if a club outside the Premier League is prepared to take on the final 12 months of his £500,000-a-week contract. [...]

A move to Chelsea would, right now, be unpalatable to United due to the club's determination to qualify for the 2023-24 Champions League. With Chelsea being a direct competitor for a top-four finish in the Premier League, there is little prospect of Ronaldo being allowed to move to Stamford Bridge, but there would be less resistance within the United hierarchy to a deal being struck with Bayern, Napoli or any other European team that may yet emerge as a potential destination.

Dawson reported June 26 that United informed Ronaldo they don't intend to sell him, and first-year manager Erik ten Hag "is banking on having Ronaldo in his squad next season."

Still, a transfer would seemingly benefit both parties.

The Portuguese forward would have the opportunity to compete in the Champions League elsewhere. Thanks to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, Manchester United only qualified for the Europa League.

The Red Devils, meanwhile, could part ways with a player whose individual impact may not be helping the collective.

Especially given his age, Ronaldo's raw numbers continue to be impressive. He had 18 goals and three assists in 30 Premier League appearances, adding another six goals in seven Champions League fixtures.

But making Ronaldo your lead striker at this point in his career can create tactical issues elsewhere. By virtue of his status, he can also marginalize other attackers within the squad. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were largely anonymous last season.

Ogden described the current situation as the "endgame" of Ronaldo's United tenure. Whether it's for Chelsea or a major club abroad, his exit might be inevitable at this point regardless of how much Ten Hag might have planned on having him in the forward line.

Cristiano Ronaldo's legal team is seeking a payment of $626,000 from the lawyer of Kathryn Mayorga after her lawsuit accusing him of rape was dismissed.

Per the Associated Press, Ronaldo's attorney, Peter Christiansen, asked United States District Court Judge Jennifer Dorsey to make Mayorga's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, personally responsible for the payment.

On June 10, Dorsey dismissed the case against Ronaldo for "bad-faith conduct" by Stovall because his case centered on stolen or leaked documents.

In 2018, Mayorga filed a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, accusing Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009.

Mayorga said she was coerced by Ronaldo and his legal team into signing a settlement and non-disclosure agreement in exchange for a payment of $375,000 at the time but argued the agreement should be thrown out.

Mayorga's accusation and non-disclosure agreement was first reported by Football Leaks (via German newspaper Der Spiegel). Christian Schertz, a lawyer for the Manchester United star, called the reporting of the news "blatantly illegal" in a statement released after the woman's lawsuit came out.

"It violates the personal rights of our client Cristiano Ronaldo in an exceptionally serious way," Schertz said. "This is an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy."

Ronaldo denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," he wrote on Twitter in 2018 (h/t CNN.com). "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

According to the Associated Press report, Ronaldo's legal team "does not dispute Ronaldo met Mayorga and they had sex in June 2009, but maintained it was consensual."

Mayorga also requested that a police investigation be opened after filing her lawsuit, but Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson announced in July 2019 that no criminal charges would be filed because the allegations could not "be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

Dorsey's ruling earlier this month meant Mayorga did not have the option to file her lawsuit again.

Stovall must respond to the latest request from Ronaldo's team with the court by July 8.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by former model Kathryn Mayorga concerning rape allegations from 2009 against Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo because of "bad faith" actions by her attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall.

Ken Ritter of the Associated Press reported Dorsey ruled Friday the case couldn't proceed because evidence used by Mayorga's legal team was obtained through stolen or leaked documents, including communication between Ronaldo and his attorneys.

"I find that the procurement and continued use of these documents was bad faith, and simply disqualifying Stovall will not cure the prejudice to Ronaldo because the misappropriated documents and their confidential contents have been woven into the very fabric of Mayorga's claims," Dorsey said. "Harsh sanctions are merited."

Mayorga said she met Ronaldo at a Vegas nightclub and joined him with other people in his hotel suite, where she said the sexual assault later took place. Ronaldo has maintained they had consensual sex.

She met with police the following day but didn't provide investigators with Ronaldo's name or location of the alleged assault.

In 2018, Mayorga filed the civil case in Nevada—it was later moved from state court to federal court—and police also decided to reopen the criminal investigation after Mayorga requested they do so.

Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson said in July 2019 no charges would be filed because there wasn't enough evidence to prove Mayorga's allegations beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

Mayorga, who received $375,000 from Ronaldo in 2010 as part of a confidentiality agreement following her saying he had raped her, moved forward with the civil lawsuit seeking more than $68 million in damages.

Her legal team argued documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel invalidated the prior deal, and Stovall said during the case his client lacked the "mental capacity" to sign the 2010 agreement, per Ritter.

Neither legal team has publicly commented on Friday's ruling.

Ronaldo is in his second stint with Manchester United after stops with Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid and Juventus throughout his club career.

The 37-year-old forward is also captain of Portugal's national team, which qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The event kicks off in November.

Mayorga's attorneys can appeal Friday's ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.