Joan Laporta has stated that signing Robert Lewandowski was a priority for the club as he addressed speculation that he was also interested in acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo. Lewandowski made a €50 million (£42m/$50m) move to Camp Nou from Bayern Munich this summer after he declared his desire to leave the German side, while Ronaldo is still looking for a way out.
Were Barcelona offered Ronaldo?
Asked if he was offered Ronaldo, Laporta told CBS Sports: "This type of story is all within the process of the summer window. There always appears a lot of news. 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.
"In this case, we decided to go for Lewandowski and knew he was crucial to our success. So we went to Bayern instead. This is the reality. The other [Ronaldo] topic is just part of the ‘little history’ of football. It's a very nice story, but you will always hear lots of contradictory stories about it.”
Further probed on Ronaldo, Laporta stated: "We got Lewandowski. He was our main target and I prefer not to comment further."
In stats: Lewandowski vs Ronaldo
Player | Club matches | Goals | Goals per game |
|---|---|---|---|
Lewandowski | 746 | 540 | 0.72 |
Ronaldo | 935 | 698 | 0.74 |
What next for Ronaldo?
Ronaldo could leave United this summer and has told club officials of his desire to quit following the failure to qualify for the Champions League.
The 37-year-old has been absent throughout United's pre-season preparations although has admitted that "the king plays" in Sunday's meeting with Rayo Vallecano.
The former Real Madrid star returned to United's training ground with his agent, Jorge Mendes, this week to hold talks about his future, with Ronaldo having failed to find a club willing to make a serious offer for him up to now.
Getty ImagesUnited have, meanwhile, maintained that they will not let Ronaldo leave this summer, with Erik ten Hag even hinting that he could end up extending his stay.
Regarding Ronaldo's future and the fact he hasn't been able to find a new club, Laporta said: "Ronaldo is a very good professional and he's still so fit.
"He's a player who is very ambitious and competitive and I am 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."