La Liga heavyweights Real Madrid are reportedly contemplating the prospect of re-signing veteran Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Real Madrid could launch the offensive to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer transfer window. Some of Los Blancos’ decision-makers are keen on re-signing the veteran Manchester United forward, who faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford.
Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a fairytale return to Manchester United last summer after deciding to quit Juventus following a few difficult years in Turin. But the Red Devils have not enjoyed a memorable campaign by any stretch of the imagination, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lost his job a few months into the season.
Manchester United will also finish a fifth successive season without a trophy while possibly ending outside the top four. But Ronaldo’s productivity has remained reasonably high, with the 37-year-old scoring 23 goals in 37 appearances thus far. But with Erik ten Hag set to arrive at Manchester United in the summer, the dynamics could change at Old Trafford. And a return to Real Madrid could be on the cards for Ronaldo.
The interest from Real Madrid is incredibly surprising, considering Karim Benzema has come into his own since Ronaldo’s departure four years ago. While the veteran Manchester United forward will unquestionably add goals to Los Blancos’ tally, his return could greatly hinder Benzema and his output.
It is also worth noting that Ronaldo will likely play as a central striker instead of being deployed out wide, as in his first stint with Real Madrid. That is where Benzema has played and excelled in the last few seasons, becoming the best striker in the world in the process. So re-signing Ronaldo might not be a clever decision by Real Madrid.
But Ronaldo might not have a future at Manchester United either, with recent reports claiming he was not in ten Hag’s plans. The veteran forward has suggested he is not hanging up his boots anytime soon. But Ronaldo could be left in limbo if ten Hag does not fancy keeping him in the Manchester United squad.
It will be interesting to see if Real Madrid launch the offensive to bring Ronaldo back to the Santiago Bernabeu. For now, the Portuguese international’s future at Manchester United remains up in the air despite being one of the few positives for the Red Devils.