Cristiano Ronaldo has been offered around Europe this summer. Barcelona president Joan Laporta suggests they turned down a move for the Manchester United forward to sign Robert Lewandowski.
As a 37-year-old athlete, Ronaldo is beginning to learn that he is not the attraction he once was when it comes to top clubs because they have yet to show any interest in granted him his way to leave Old Trafford for a second time in his career.
However, Barcelona opted to move for Robert Lewandowski.
The question from Spain is whether Barca were were interested in Ronaldo.
“There always appears a lot of news,” Laporta told CBS Sports. “But in the end the truth is we wanted Lewandowski. We have a very good relationship with Jorge Mendes. I have known him for a long time. He is one of the best player agents. He knows how to do his job and I respect him.”
Here it sounds like Laporta is doing all he can to stay in Mendes’ good books. The reason for that probably has nothing to do with the current transfer market but striking a good relationship with the Portuguese agent can eventually lead to deals for Barca down the line.
Laporta added: “In this case, we decided to go for Lewandowski and knew he was crucial to our success. This is the reality. The other [Ronaldo] topic is just part of the ‘little history’ in football. It’s a very nice story, but you will always hear lots of contradictory news about it.
“Ronaldo is a very good professional and he’s still so fit. He’s a player who is very ambitious and competitive and I’m sure he has a lot of options. He’s still a player of Manchester United – an extraordinary club who I respect very much. His future is not my business. It’s the business of Manchester United and Cristiano.”
It would be strange seeing Ronaldo in a Barca shirt.
These links sound similar – albeit less believable – than the speculation that did the rounds last summer, with Man City launching a pursuit to sign Ronaldo. The biggest difference is that Barca don’t have the money to pay him.
Laporta could always ask for another loan…
Lewandoski is ok