Manchester United finally ready to sell striker Cristiano Ronaldo after demands to leave – Paper Round

United ready to sell Ronaldo

After Cristiano Ronaldo told Manchester United that he wanted to leave this summer, the club initially reacted by rejecting his request and saying they would not countenance his departure. However The Sun reports that the club have now accepted that he will be leaving in the current transfer window, and new manager Erik ten Hag is making plans to deal with his exit.

Paper Round’s view: At 37, Ronaldo remains one of the best strikers in the world and United have fallen so far since the departure of Alex Ferguson that they can hardly be surprised that Ronaldo wants out. What is not clear for now is just how many clubs can offer him the chance to win the Champions League or another title, with Bayern Munich apparently reluctant to bid.

Chelsea chase Nunes

Chelsea are looking at Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes. The 23-year-old midfielder has impressed over the course of last season in Portugal, and The Mirror reports that he drew praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. The player was born in Brazil but moved to Portugal as a child and is also a player for the Portuguese national side.

Paper Round’s view: Nunes is said to cost around £40 million so he would cause a dent in the transfer budget provided by Todd Boehly, but that is said to be around five times that amount, and they are yet to make any signings. With pre-season getting underway at most clubs, Thomas Tuchel will not want to continue much longer with such a sparse squad at his disposal.

Barcelona aiming for huge spree

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Barcelona hope to have sold their TV broadcast rights by July 15, at which point they can kick off their spending. Robert Lewandowski could cost 50m euros, and Raphinha 15m euros more. There is also interest in Chelsea defensive pair Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta as well as Jules Kounde of Sevilla, and Man City’s Bernado Silva.

Paper Round’s view: If Barcelona gets a couple of hundred million for those sales then even that might not be enough to afford all the names listed above. Manchester City do not want to sell Silva so it would take a sizable offer to secure the Portuguese playmaker. While Alonso and Azpilicueta will be relatively affordable, neither of them have age on their side any longer.

De Jong move held up by wage deferral

The Telegraph reports that Barcelona’s sale of Frenkie de Jong is now being held up by negotiations between the club and their midfielder. The 25-year-old Dutch international is still expected to join Manchester United this summer, but he is owed £17m of wages deferred during the coronavirus pandemic which will have to be settled before he agrees to leave the club.

Paper Round’s view: While it was reasonable of Barcelona to ask players to defer income during the coronavirus crisis, they are apparently selling their TV rights imminently with the idea of selling new players. While their squad might be in need of an upgrade, it seems more fair for them to use their income to settle debts with players rather than spend elsewhere.