- Portuguese has pushed for a move
- Stuck at Old Trafford for now
- Brazilian giants have no need for him
WHAT HAPPENED? The 2022 Copa Libertadores winners had been mentioned as a possible suitor for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has been looking for a way out of Old Trafford since the summer. The Brazilian heavyweights do, however, already have free-scoring Gabigol and Pedro on their books, meaning that Ronaldo would find himself on the bench again if he were to swap life in England for South America.
WHAT THEY SAID: Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim has told the Papo Reto podcast of links to the Portuguese superstar: “I don't know where it came from but they have a lot of creativity. First of all, I ask: For whose place? It's to be on the bench. From what I've read on the internet, I don't know if it's true or not, he would have been offered $242million [£215m] for a two-year contract. Divided by 24 months, that's about $10m a month. Talk about a value far above the entire salary sheet of Flamengo for Cristiano Ronaldo. To be Pedro or Gabigol's [Gabriel Barbosa] substitute? I can't… nobody here is going to do crazy things.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldo is not the only global icon to have been linked with Flamengo of late, but Landim has also sought to distance his club from reports suggesting that Neymar could eventually be lured back to his homeland from Paris Saint-Germain. He added: “I don't know how much Neymar earns. I've heard that it will be close to four million euros [£3m/$4m] per month. If we consider that amount, he will not want to come to Flamengo given what I will be able to offer him, within the wage structure. He will have a better proposal from outside. It's natural, it's the market.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty Images
GettyWHAT NEXT? Flamengo have no need for added firepower at present as Gabigol and Pedro have both netted on 29 occasions across all competitions this season, with the former scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory over Athletic Paranaense in the Copa Libertadores final.
