Cristiano Ronaldo facing reality of taking hefty pay cut to secure Man Utd exit

Cristiano Ronaldo has told Manchester United that he would like to leave the club this summer - but he may not be able to due to the hefty wages that he took last year.

The Portuguese forward scored 18 goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season, almost single-handedly ensuring the club scraped into a Europa League spot for the upcoming campaign. However, the striker may not have expected to be arriving at such a fractured environment upon his homecoming.

Under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, the club continued to freefall away from its status as one of the best in the world. And the lack of ambition in this summer's transfer window has led Ronaldo to request a move away despite the fresh face of Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout.

But United have made it clear to the player that he is part of their plans for next season and will not be allowed to depart. But even if they were to greenlight a move, Ronaldo will struggle to find a new destination.

According to The Telegraph, the 37-year-old was paid £480,000-a-week last season which will consequently price out most European sides. The striker is expected to be paid less by United next season, if he remains at the club, as he will not be playing in the Champions League, and thus is unable to meet several of the clauses in his contract.

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has held talks recently with Bayern Munich and Chelsea, though it remains to be seen whether either side will table a bid for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. There are certainly a few other clubs who will also be keeping tabs on the striker's situation at the Theatre of Dreams in hope that United change their mind on Ronaldo's situation.

A key reason cited for Ronaldo's desire to depart is that the club have not been active enough in the transfer market so far this summer, which has become more obvious given how busy the rest of the 'Big Six' - besides Chelsea - have been. Rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have both made marquee signings, Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez, whilst Arsenal and Tottenham have also signed four players each.

United remain interested in Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, with Ten Hag desperate to reunite with some of his former players. Talks are ongoing with the Catalan club over the midfielder, who previously spoke publicly about his desire to remain at the Camp Nou.

Ten Hag is keen to acquire the services of some of the Ajax stars that he left at the end of last season, with central defender Lisandro Martinez a top target after Jurrien Timber turned his back on a move. The Argentina international is a versatile option for the Red Devils given that he can also play in midfield as left-back, though Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the 24-year-old. But whether the two aforementioned arrivals, as well as potentially others, are enough to settle Ronaldo remains to be seen.