Cristiano Ronaldo ‘asks to leave’ Manchester United amid interest from Chelsea and Bayern Munich

Seb Sternik
2 July 2022

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to leave Manchester United as he looks to continue playing Champions League football.

The 37-year-old, who had played in Europe's top tier competition in 19 consecutive seasons, is still determined to compete with the continent's biggest clubs.

Manchester United missed out on Champions League qualification after a dismal domestic campaign which saw the club finish sixth.

Erik ten Hag's men will spend the next campaign competing in the Europa League - a competition which Ronaldo has never featured in.

The Portugal international still believes he has "three or four" years left at the highest level and would like to spend them at a club where he would be capable of adding to his long list of team and individual accolades, according to a report in The Times.

Ronaldo scored 24 goals for the Red Devils last season, with 18 of them coming in the Premier League.

The player made his Champions League bow in 2003 with Sporting Lisbon, and has since made 183 appearances in the competition, scoring 140 goals.

🚨 @Cristiano has asked to leave @ManUtd if the club receive a satisfactory offer this summer, reports @TimesSport...

Where's next for the Portuguese star? 👀 pic.twitter.com/YPKKLnWsiy
— SPORF (@Sporf) July 2, 2022

As things stand, Ronaldo is under contract with United until the summer of 2023. What's more, there is an option of a one-year extension.

A number of clubs have expressed interest in the player, including Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The German outfit have kept a close eye on Ronaldo in case Robert Lewandowski completes his move away from the Allianz Arena.

Meanwhile, Todd Boehly, who is the new co-owner at Stamford Bridge, met with Ronaldo's representatives last month in Portugal, which fuelled speculation about the forward's future.