Cristiano Ronaldo is willing to take a 30% pay cut to leave Manchester United this summer

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United against Atalanta in Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United against Atalanta in Champions League - IMAGO / Gribaudi/ImagePhoto

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly willing to take a big pay cut to leave Manchester United this summer.

The Portuguese star is desperate to leave Old Trafford this summer after growing frustrated with the club and is willing to take a 30% pay cut to seal an exit.

According to Sports journalist Ben Jacobs via Football365, Ronaldo, who earns a hefty salary at Old Trafford, is ready to take such a huge slice in his salary to join Atletico Madrid, arch-rivals of former club Real Madrid

The 37-year-old understands that the wages for a player of his calibre can become a stumbling block in securing a move to one of Europe’s leading clubs and has decided to make the sacrifice to tempt Champions League sides to make a bid for him.  

According to reports, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has been touting his services to Europe’s top clubs to help fast-track his clients’ exit. But so far, none of his efforts has yielded any results, with the likes of ChelseaParis Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich already showing their intention not to buy.

Atletico are the latest big club to be linked with the 37-year-old. But Diego Simeone’s men have also distanced themselves from Ronaldo, even though that has not taken away the rumours.

The La Liga giants can offer the five-time Ballon d’Or winner the Champions League football he desires, but they may struggle to pay his wages. Despite taking a 30% cut in his salary, he will still be earning around £ 300,000 a week, and only a few sides will be willing to give that to one player. 

Meanwhile, Spanish newspaper Marca are reporting that there is no possibility of Ronaldo returning to Real Madrid as he doesn’t feature in their plans. The Manchester United man is a Real Madrid legend, having scored a phenomenal 450 goals in 438 matches for the club between 2009 and 2018.

But Los Blancos have moved on from the player and are building a team around younger players like Rodrigo, Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, remains in limbo. He has not reported back for pre-season training and is not part of Erik ten Hag’s squad in Thailand and Australia.