Ronaldo's reaction to receiving Arsenal shirt as Piers Morgan calls for transfer

Arsenal's downturn in form has prompted Piers Morgan to call for the club to move for Cristiano Ronaldo, and the broadcaster attempted to lay the foundations back in 2019.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for United against Norwich City on Saturday, with Arsenal losing ground at the same time thanks to a defeat at Southampton. And Morgan, a vocal Gunners supporter, said he was "deadly serious" in his assertion that Mikel Arteta's side should move for the Portugal star.

Morgan handed Ronaldo an Arsenal shirt when the pair met in 2019 - at the time, the forward was still at Juventus - and joked about using it to talk him into a move. Ronaldo has since returned to the club where he won domestic and European titles in his first spell, but he admitted he was once "very close" to joining the Gunners.

Ronaldo admitted he was "one step" away from joining Arsenal from Sporting CP. However, after Sir Alex Ferguson intervened, he ended up a United player and went on to win the 2008 Champions League final with the Red Devils.

During that 2019 interview, Morgan was greeted with laughter from Ronaldo as he handed the player an Arsenal shirt with his name and number on the back. "This is what should have happened," the 57-year-old said.

"It's what I've dreamed of, but it's not too late. I can see Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe and Ronaldo. And you'd win everything," he added. Ronaldo, in response, said he would keep the shirt "in a special place".

"Ok Piers, I am so… I want to apologise… ok, forgive me for not joining Arsenal," Ronaldo said during the interview. "It didn't happen, but Arsenal, I appreciate what they did for me, especially Arsene Wenger, but football you never know where you are going to play, life is like that.

"But I appreciate Arsenal because it is a fantastic club and you support Arsenal. And now you support Juventus."

Wenger, who was Arsenal manager when they first looked at signing Ronaldo, revealed the club thought a deal was possible before United got involved. "If we had been a fraction quicker, a few days because we had agreed and then Manchester United came in 5 or 6 days later," he told former Arsenal striker Ian Wright on LADbible TV.

"When I had Thierry, I could have signed [Cristiano] Ronaldo - can you imagine what they could have done together?" Wenger had previously told FourFourTwo That makes you sweat a little bit, and I was very close to doing it. I thought it was all done.

"It was that close [holding his index finger and thumb within a millimetre of each other]. But I would say that every club could tell you stories like that."