The teams that could be interested in the player are laid out by Mark. I think it's 1:14.
It is now in play for the end of the career of the player. It is increasingly likely that he has already made his final appearance in a United shirt despite the club's public position that he won't be leaving this summer.
The first day of preseason training was delayed on Monday due to family reasons, after it was reported that the player wanted to leave the club less than a year after returning. It's not clear if the rest of the squad will fly to Thailand on Friday or not.
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A frenzy of speculation around the future of his most high-profile player is a distraction he could do without due to the mountain of problems he inherited from his predecessors.
According to sources, if a club outside the English top flight is willing to take on the final year ofRonaldo's contract, United would be open to selling the player. According to a report by ESPN on Saturday, there is interest from a number of parties, including the former Real Madrid and Italy player.
It would be unpalatable to United if they moved to Chelsea because of the club's desire to qualify for the playoffs. There would be less resistance within the United hierarchy to a deal being struck with any of the European teams that may emerge, even though there is little chance of the Portuguese being allowed to move to Stamford Bridge.
There is an acceptance that allowing him to leave now will help accelerate the former Ajax coach's rebuilding programme according to sources. For the first time in his two spells at United,Ronaldo has let the team down by waiting until now, just five weeks before the start of the new season, to signal his desire to leave.
On June 3, when he spoke to United's official website, he gave a strong hint that he would stay and give Ten Hag time to make changes. According to sources, there has been a constant sense behind the scenes at United this summer thatRonaldo was waiting for the right moment to push for a move and that there would be little tears shed in the dressing room if he left.
While many of his teammates may be happy to see him leave, he has left United on the back foot in terms of finding a replacement. There are no new arrivals in the transfer market until the squad returns to training. Sources say that left-back Tyrell Malacia will join the club within the next 48 hours and that Christian Eriksen will join the club on a three-year deal. United will need to find a replacement for the player who scored 24 goals last season. The 22-year-old Antony would be a gamble rather than the proven goal scorer United would clearly need.
The club would not have been able to compete for forwards who have already made big moves if they had waited until now. Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus would have offered proven options, while United could have made a more concerted effort to stop the move. The kind of high-profile deals that United are trying to consign to the past are the ones that they could attempt to beat Barcelona or even take away from them. Everything needs to be on the table now.
There is nobody coming out of this situation. At the end of last season, United and Ten Hag had the chance to force the issue and deal with it sooner, but they didn't. Both parties are in a race against time because of the communications failure on the other side.
At the same time as trying to bolster Ten Hag's squad with the reinforcements they already desperately needed, United have to find a club ready and willing to fund his signing.
One thing is certain, and that is that the time at United is up forRonaldo.
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