Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly the subject of a stunning swap deal between Manchester United and Serie A side Napoli.
According to Sky Sports, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has approached Napoli to offer them the chance to sign the five time Ballon d’Or winner.
Mendes has been working around the clock for a while now in order to find the solution his client wants, which is to be playing in the Champions League. He is also tasked with finding a solution for United, which is a replacement if Ronaldo was to be sold.
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The latest deal proposed by Mendes is for Ronaldo to move to Napoli, and striker Victor Osimhen to move to Old Trafford.
Sky Sports News reported that the Red Devils admire Osimhen and the Nigerian is on the list of potential replacements for Ronaldo.
However, it is believed that Napoli will not be selling the 23-year-old on a cheap, they are looking for a three digit offer.
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Reports suggested that the Naples club are looking for €120 million for Osimhen, and if Ronaldo joins Napoli on loan, they would like United to pay 80% of the Portuguese's mammoth salary.
It is hard to see how United will be able to afford him, especially when they are preparing another big offer to bring Ajax winger Antony to Old Trafford, with a deal said to be inching ever closer.
Apart from Napoli, it was reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio that Mendes offered Ronaldo to AC Milan, with Rafael Leao moving to United as part of the deal. However, it is believed that the San Siro club rejected that idea.
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The Ronaldo transfer saga has been dragging on for some time now, and it is something Erik ten Hag can do without as he prepares to keep up the team’s momentum after a huge win against Liverpool on Monday night.
They will now face Southampton on Saturday. Ten Hag is curious to see if his players have learned a lesson from the 4-0 thrashing by Brentford in their last away match.
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He said in his pre match press conference: “It’s a different challenge so I’m really curious: did we learn the lesson from Brentford?
“Because this will be more or less the same approach. It’s about transition, it’s about running, it’s about battling and fighting, and then we have to make it our game. So it’s a real challenge for us to do that.”
Will Ronaldo leave or stay at Old Trafford? Only time will tell.
Topics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Cristiano Ronaldo, Victor Osimhen, Napoli, Jorge Mendes
Marcus Chan