In a familiar turn of events, Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered yet another frustrating blow to his chances of leaving Manchester United before transfer deadline day.
The 37-year-old superstar is still desperate to leave Old Trafford in the next six days after only one year back at his beloved club, with Napoli the latest club to be contacted by his trusted agent, Jorge Mendes. Ticking the boxes of being a Champions League team and in one of Europe's top five leagues, Ronaldo would be inclined to take up an offer - if there was one.
Tipped to be part of a swap deal which would see Napoli striker Victor Osimhen head the other way and join the Red Devils, the 23-year-old Nigerian's agent has shut down talk of his client making way for Ronaldo to rock up in Naples.
Osimhen's Italian representative, Roberto Calenda, tweeted in response to the speculation: "No negotiations in progress, no swaps. Victor Osimhen is a Napoli player and wants to play the Champions League with his Napoli after winning it on the pitch with pride together with the coach and his teammates."
Despite Mendes and Napoli reportedly holding talks, it seems that the Serie A side can be added to the list of clubs who've turned down the chance to sign Ronaldo this summer. Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Marseille have all snubbed Mendes' proposals, leaving an emotional homecoming to Sporting Lisbon as Ronaldo's best option for a satisfactory departure.
However, United manager Erik ten Hag is maintaining his stance that the Portuguese powerhouse isn't for sale, hoping that he can instead adapt to his system and help the team begin a new era. Asked whether Ronaldo still has a part to play this season after benching him for the Red Devils' pulsating 2-1 win against Liverpool on Monday, Ten Hag declared: "I think he can [adapt].
"In his whole career and under several managers, he did. In several styles and systems, he always performed. Why can't he do this [again]? His age is not an issue. If you are young, you are good enough, and when you are old, you still deliver the performance, you are also good enough."
Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo's teammate for both United and Portugal, hopes that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will stick around beyond September 1. "There is a lot of speculation, but there is no one better than Cristiano to talk about it," Fernandes recently told Eleven Sports. "I may know a thing or two, but I won't be the one to say it.
"Cristiano is calm. He worked well this week and did the work he has been doing, which he will continue to do so. For now he is a United player. I don't know if he will leave or if he will not leave. As he said, he will speak soon and they will have time to hear his words and what he has to say.
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"I don't think anyone has shown so far that there was no interest in Cristiano not staying. He can continue at a high level and give us a lot of goals but it's his decision. We have to respect what he wants to do, whatever he wants to do.
"If he's going to stay, we'll be happy about it; if he's going to leave because he thinks it's best for him, I'll be personally happy for him. The most important thing is that he's okay, playing at the highest level and making our country proud."
