Cristiano Ronaldo: Atletico Madrid transfer list Antoine Griezmann to facilitate mega deal | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid have stepped up their pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo by transfer listing Antoine Griezmann, according to a new report.

Ronaldo has been absent from Manchester United’s pre-season tour as he attempts to secure a transfer away from the club following last season’s sixth place finish, but has been unable to find an interested party.

A number of top European clubs have been linked, including Chelsea and Bayern Munich, but both are believed to have turned down the chance of signing the 38-year-old, opening up an avenue for Atletico to explore.

Atleti are now making moves to facilitate a transfer for Ronaldo by attempting to offload Griezmann, per Duncan Castles of The Times.

The report, via @UtdDistrict on Twitter, further states that Ronaldo is open to the idea of returning to Madrid, where he spent nine seasons with Atletico’s city rivals Real Madrid, and is impressed with Diego Simeone’s desire to work with him.

Ronaldo blossomed into one of the game’s greatest players with Real from 2009 to 2018 and in that time became the club’s all-time top scorer, bagging 451 goals from 438 games for Los Blancos, and winning four Champions League titles, among countless other honours.

News of Ronaldo’s desire to leave United this summer has been no secret, with agent Jorge Mendes discussing transfers with several top sides, with Erik ten Hag’s side playing Europa League football next season.

The 37-year-old’s mammoth wages are believed to be an issue, though, with him earning a reported £385,000-per-week last season at United, per the Daily Mail, while his playing style as his age advances could also prove problematic for the systems of some top sides.

Ronaldo was reportedly close to joining Manchester City from Juventus last summer before United swooped in and confirmed his signing on an initial two-year deal.

His return season saw him bag 24 goals from 38 games in all competitions, but those goals weren’t enough to fire United to any silverware, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and Ralf Rangnick underwhelmed on an interim basis.

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Atletico, meanwhile, only re-signed Griezmann on a loan deal last summer following his 2019 transfer to Barcelona worth £107m, and are expected to make the loan return a permanent one in 2023, due to an obligation to buy for £34.4m.

However, it now looks as though that deal could be settled early should they find a party to purchase the Spaniard, in order to clear space on the books to sign Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

United have just finished their pre-season tour of Australia and return to Europe to face none other than Atletico in Norway on Saturday 30 July, before welcoming Rayo Vallecano to Old Trafford a day later.