It's been nearly three weeks since Cristiano Ronaldo told Manchester United that it was time for him to leave the club in a bombshell statement.
The Red Devils' beloved No.7 hasn't even been back at Old Trafford for a whole year since his sensational homecoming last September, but doesn't have any desire to be part of the first phase of new United manager Erik ten Hag 's revolution and remains absent from the club's pre-season tour due to "family reasons".
Desperate to avoid what he'd likely perceive as the embarrassment of playing Europa League football for the first time in his remarkable career, Ronaldo and his trusted agent, Jorge Mendes, are scrambling around the transfer market searching for a suitable next destination.
But even with five Ballons d'Or in his back pocket, there's a problem: nobody seems to want him. German giants Bayern Munich - who Mendes is alleged to have been in contact with in the hopes of tempting them into a deal - have consistently denied any interest, while Premier League rivals Chelsea have also distanced themselves - despite early interest from new owner Todd Boehly.
Still, the transfer window doesn't slam shut for another 43 days and Ronaldo could easily be strutting his stuff at a new club very shortly. With his current predicament in mind, Mirror Football takes a look at who could be swaying the outcome of the summer's most talked-about transfer saga.
Georgina's preference
Starting with his long-time partner, Georgina Rodriguez is reportedly pushing for the Ronaldo clan to return to Spain. The 37-year-old starred for Real Madrid for nine seasons following his £80million departure from Old Trafford in 2009, helping Los Blancos win four Champions League titles and becoming a bona fide legend.
According to Spanish newspaper Diario Sport, Georgina wants to head back to Spain - where she grew up - and Madrid is top of the list, having met Ronaldo in the capital six years ago. The Portuguese hasn't hidden his love for Real since his exit for Juventus in 2018, but with Karim Benzema leading the line and Carlo Ancelotti's side functioning superbly, it's unlikely that they'd be willing to accommodate Ronaldo from both a footballing and financial standpoint.
Instead, cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid have been touted as potential suitors, with the ex-Los Blancos talisman sharing a love-hate relationship with boss Diego Simeone. Reports this week claimed that Ronaldo had convinced chiefs at the Wanda Metropolitano to sign him, with Simeone's son even liking a tweet related to the story.
It'd cause bitterness at the Santiago Bernabeu, but a switch to Atletico would seemingly please Georgina.
Family wish
Speaking of those who Ronaldo holds closest, mother Dolores Aveiro dreams of her son returning to Sporting Lisbon, the place where it all began. The Portuguese behemoths secured Champions League football last season as runners-up in the Primeira Liga, and Ronaldo has even been spotted keeping his fitness up at their facilities while back home.
A season-long loan move was recently mooted, and while those rumours were shut down as "fake" by the man himself, his mother hopes that one day he'll be back in green and white. Before Ronaldo's incredible return to Manchester following a topsy-turvy final season at Juventus, Dolores promised Sporting fans that she'd bring her son home.
"I'm going to go to Turin and speak to him," she declared last year. "Next year he will play in Alvalade, I'll convince him and he will return."
It didn't happen, of course, but Dolores is known to occasionally attend Sporting matches, strengthening the family bold to the Estadio Jose Alvalade. When Portugal played there in June and Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Switzerland, she was in floods of tears celebrating his heroics at his old stomping ground from when he was still a scrawny teenage prodigy.
Messi's influence
It wouldn't be a discussion about Cristiano Ronaldo without mentioning his eternal rival, Lionel Messi. The Barcelona legend, now plying his trade in France for cash-rich Paris Saint-Germain, has shared the very biggest stage in world football with Ronaldo for more than a decade.
But their powers, sad as it is to say, are waning. With their career swan songs looming, modern football's two kings are hoping to cap their careers are the top by setting as many record as possible. While Messi has maintained that personal accolades mean little to him, Ronaldo is driven by them.
And it's why he doesn't want to stop playing in the Champions League, as the Portugal captain fears that his old foe will usurp him as the competition's all-time top goalscorer. Only 15 strikes off Ronaldo's bonkers tally of 140, Messi could make up that ground in PSG colours if the Old Trafford icon stays put and decides to take the plunge into the Europa League.
That's an outcome which Bruno Fernandes - Ronaldo's teammate for club and country - hopes will happen. "Obviously we have to respect the decision of everyone," Red Devils midfielder Fernandes stated while on tour in Australia. "I don't know what Cristiano said to the club, to the manager, I don't know what he's going into his head, but we have to respect his space.
"From everything we know, he had some family problems, so we have to respect his space, give him some space and that's it. Cristiano was our top scorer last season, he added goals to us, but obviously it's not on me, it's the club that has to make the choices and Cristiano makes his own choice.
Get involved! Which club should sign Ronaldo - or should he stay at Man Utd? Join the debate in the comments section.
"As I said, I don't know what's going on in his head, if he wants to leave, it’s all news, I didn't ask them that. The only thing I asked Cristiano, when he didn't turn up, was if everything was okay with the family, he told me what was going on, that's it and nothing more."
But is a future at United even a possibility from Ronaldo's point of view, despite Ten Hag claiming that he's not for sale and suggesting that his contract - which expires in 12 months' time - could be extended? Not in Piers Morgan's opinion. "I have had quite a lot of contact in the last week. I certainly think it'd be highly unlikely if Cristiano Ronaldo plays another game for Manchester United," Morgan told talkSPORT. "I just think mentally he's moved on.
"I'm not going to say what we've said to each other but like I said from the start I don't think Cristiano feels Manchester United share his ambitions. I think he feels that the signings they're making, the commitment they showed last season, where they finished up and a lack of Champions League football."
With rampant speculation about Ronaldo's hotly-debated future not showing any signs of stopping, who knows where he'll end up?
