"We discussed about Cristiano Ronaldo internally" - Oliver Kahn explains Bayern Munich's stance on potential transfer for Manchester United superstar
Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn has revealed that the Bundesliga champions discussed a possible transfer for Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo internally before deciding against it.
The 37-year-old reportedly wants to leave Manchester United this summer and has been linked with quite a few top clubs, including Bayern, who saw their prolific goalscorer Robert Lewandowski leave for Barcelona.
The German club insist Ronaldo isn't on their agenda, and Kahn reiterated Bayern's stance that a potential move wouldn't fit the club's philosophy.
Speaking to German news outlet Bild, the 53-year-old said (via Fabrizio Romano):
“We discussed about Cristiano Ronaldo internally - I consider him one of the greatest footballers ever.
“Then we came to conclusion that, despite appreciation for Cristiano, he would not fit into our philosophy in the current situation."
Kahn didn't elaborate on their reason behind rejecting Ronaldo but Bayern are clearly very much out of the question for the Portuguese now.
This now reportedly leaves Chelsea and Atletico Madrid as the only clubs that can go through with a transfer for the former Real Madrid ace.
#FCBayern
Bayern director Kahn tells Bild: “We discussed about Cristiano Ronaldo internally - I consider him one of greatest footballers ever” 🚨 #FCBayern
“Then we came to conclusion that, despite appreciation for Cristiano, he would not fit into our philosophy in the current situation”. https://t.co/JuBTUdUnsS
The Blues have distanced themselves from the rumors lately but with the uncertainty surrounding Timo Werner's future, they could pull off a U-turn and push for Ronaldo.
Atletico are the surprise potential suitors for him, given the long-standing rivalry between them and Ronaldo's former club Real Madrid.
Ronaldo is reportedly even willing to take a 30% pay cut to force a move away from Old Trafford, where he made a sensational return just last year and struck 24 goals in all competitions.
Manchester United, however, still insist he's not for sale.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United training
He'd been conspicuous by his absence from Manchester United's pre-season tour but Ronaldo returned to the training ground on Tuesday.
The day before that, he arrived in Manchester for the first time this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived back at Man United's training ground this morning 👀 https://t.co/gF4kTL0XC2
It's unclear what came out of the discussions between the club and Ronaldo's representatives but the Portuguese's agent, Jorge Mendes, is still pushing for a transfer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
With no club going forward to make a bid, Ronaldo's future remains up in the air. He still has a year remaining on his contract with United.