Cristiano Ronaldo may be allowed to leave Manchester United this month if Erik ten Hag decides his departure would be better for the club going forward.
United’s position has not changed and Ronaldo is not for sale. He still has a year left on his contract and United have the option of extending it by another 12 months.
We reported on Monday that Atletico Madrid and Chelsea were still two possible destinations for Ronaldo if United change their stance and let him leave.
However, there are senior figures at both clubs who are not convinced they should sign Ronaldo.
United have suffered their worst start to a Premier League season in 101 years under new manager Ten Hag.
Neville: Man Utd could finish bottom half if Ronaldo goes
Papers: Man Utd weighing up ?45m move for Atletico striker Cunha
Neville on Nunez red: It was a moment of madness
Peter Fury: ‘Usyk is as real as it gets, if AJ comes through he’s proved himself’
Inside Berlusconi’s Monza, Serie A’s newest club
Joshua: I’m going to smash Usyk on Saturday
Everton reject Chelsea’s ?40m-?45m bid for Gordon
Stokes: England mindset won’t change | Opposition doing a lot of talking
Wolves agree club-record ?42.2m deal to sign Sporting midfielder Nunes
With an opening weekend defeat to Brighton swiftly followed by a humbling 4-0 loss away at Brentford on Saturday, United sit bottom of the table.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s United future is in serious doubt with the 37-year-old wanting to quit Old Trafford this summer in favour of joining a Champions League club.
Neville: United could finish in bottom half if Ronaldo goes
Gary Neville told Monday Night Football Manchester United could finish in the bottom half of the Premier League this season if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the club.
“The problem they have now is if they lose him, there’s nothing left in terms of the goal-scoring part of the pitch.
”I genuinely think if they don’t bring players in or if they bring poor players in and he leaves, I genuinely think they can finish in the bottom half of the table,” Neville said on Monday Night Football.
“I think that is a bottom-half-of-the-table team. That is a massive statement that may look stupid at the end of the season.
“They are demoralised and shot to pieces, it is really bad in there. They have gone back to default.”
Merson: Ronaldo would solve Chelsea striker problem
In his latest Sky Sports column, Paul Merson explained why Cristiano Ronaldo would be the final piece in the jigsaw for Chelsea.
“Chelsea were outstanding against Tottenham on Sunday, they dominated the match from start to finish, but they haven’t got a goalscorer or centre-forward and that cost them three points,” said Merson.
“Despite their domination, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made just one save. That tells you all you need to know.
“I cannot believe they didn’t or haven’t gone in for Cristiano Ronaldo. He just ticks all of the boxes Chelsea are lacking.
“Playing for Chelsea is not like playing for Manchester United, who are working from the halfway line. Chelsea are on the edge of the box, dominating games.
“Chelsea have unbelievable wing-backs, they dominate football matches, if they were putting the ball into the box for Ronaldo I would dread to think how many goals he could score.”
Follow the summer transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move before the transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1?
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.