Cristiano Ronaldo ’s future is at the heart of a vast amount of speculation with the Portuguese having submitted a transfer request over the weekend.
The striker has cited the Red Devils’ poor performances and current lack of ambition in the transfer market as prime reasons behind wanting to bid farewell to Old Trafford. Immediately after expressing his desire to leave, a number of clubs were linked including Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
In the meantime, one shock name that was linked with a swoop was Barcelona. His agent Jorge Mendes has been reported to have held talks with the Catalan giants, with Ronaldo’s name one of four to be discussed.
Any move would certainly be a surprise considering the 37-year-old’s loyalties to Barca’s fierce rivals Real Madrid, with Ronaldo the club’s highest ever goalscorer. It remains to be seen whether he would accept a switch to the Camp Nou but the prospect of a move presents a tricky dilemma for Barcelona this summer.
The Spanish giants have been publicly courting Robert Lewandowski over the past few months after the Pole admitted he was ready for a fresh challenge. Even president Joan Laporta suggested he was ‘flattered’ at the prospect of the Bayern forward wanting to play for the club.
One problem though has been the German giants’ unwillingness to sell their star forward this summer. After all, the 33-year-old has been a key part of eight Bundesliga successes at the Allianz Arena and added another 49 goals to his eye-watering haul last season.
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That is a similar stance to that of the Red Devils who have reiterated that Ronaldo is simply not for sale. Barcelona then must decide which deal would be easier - and one would suspect that the Red Devils’ would be more willing to discuss a move.
Things do not get that much easier from a financial perspective either, at least from the perspective of Barcelona. Having only returned to Old Trafford last summer in a £12.7m switch from Juventus, it is said that the Red Devils are keen to recoup as much of that as possible. In the meantime, Bayern are reportedly demanding a minimum of €40 million (£34.4m) for Lewandowski this summer - far more than it would cost to sign Ronaldo.
Of course, wages also have to be taken into account. Before all of his brand deals and promotional agreements, Ronaldo earns £480k per week at Old Trafford as per Salary Sport. In the meantime, Lewandowski banks £320k per week - a considerable difference.
However, when initial transfer fees are taken into account, it appears that the financial package is quite similar after all. It remains to be seen then whether Barcelona would be tempted enough to move for Ronaldo or instead stick to their guns with Lewandowski.
Whichever way they decide, speculation will surely continue revolving around the two forwards until their respective futures are settled.
