Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly told Manchester United he wanted to leave the Premier League club, just one season after his emotional return to Old Trafford.
It was known that the iconic Portuguese forward was understandable as United struggled so badly in his first campaign back in English football.
And it was widely known that he was demanding activity in the current transfer window before committing to the second year of the contract he signed in 2021.
It was a two-year deal, with a club option to extend it for another year.
But it was generally accepted that, given Ronaldo’s status, the decision to look forward to the second year would lie entirely with him.
Now, the reports claim, he has decided he does not want to stay at a club that struggled to finish sixth in the Premier League last season and which has added another new summer signing.
For the first time since 2010, United went through the month of June without adding a new player in the summer window.
And although deals are underway for midfielder Frenkie de Jong, left-back Tyrell Malacia and Ajax center-back Lisandro Martinez, United have yet to complete one of them for new manager Erik ten Hag.
Strikingly, reports in Germany recently claimed that Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes “offered” Ronaldo to Bayern Munich – with the German club refusing any public interest.
And Mendes was seen in meetings with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, although given the agent’s position in the game, any number of targets could have been under discussion.
The 37-year-old striker was one of the few successful elements of United’s disastrous 2021-’22, which easily ended the campaign as the club’s top scorer, with 18 Premier League goals and 24 in all competitions.
His possible departure will also give Ten Hag a major headache in terms of a quality replacement, with the club departing on their pre-season tour to Asia and Australia on Friday.
Ronaldo is expected to train with United again on Monday, after being granted extended leave following international duties this summer.