Towards the end of the transfer window, all options away from Manchester United looked closed for Cristiano Ronaldo apart from one avenue.
In the days leading up to the deadline, Napoli considered a deal for the 37-year-old, who told the Reds he wanted to leave earlier in the summer. No bid arrived meaning Ronaldo will now stay at United until at least January.
Earlier in the window, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Chelsea - among other elite clubs - all ruled themselves out of the race for the attacker. Maurizio Arrivabene, CEO of former club Juventus, called the situation “sad” but underlined that it was “no longer our problem” in comments that many took as a dismissal of a Ronaldo return.
