Cristiano Ronaldo future: Manchester United end 'imminent transfer' rumours

Ronaldo remains a part of Erik ten Hag's plans despite being dropped from the starting XI

Cristiano Ronaldo looks likely to remain at Manchester United for at least one more season after rumours linking the Portugal international with an imminent exit were dismissed. The Red Devils' summer transfer window has been dominated by talk of Ronaldo wanting to leave Old Trafford.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner remains keen on playing in the Champions League and had instructed agent Jorge Mendes to find a way out of United. Ronaldo's agent has been shopping his client around, but has found no genuine takers among Europe's top clubs.

The likes of Bayern Munich, Paris-Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Juventus were all offered Ronaldo's services, but they all firmly declined. The 37-year-old even skipped United's pre-season tour to engineer a move away, but the failure to find a new club has seen him rejoin Erik ten Hag's squad for the 2022-23 season.

A recent report suggested Ronaldo was close to joining boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, with talks said to have been at an advanced stage. However, NBC Sports' Ben Jacobs has dismissed talks of a return to Portugal with both United and Sporting ruling out the possibility of a transfer.

"No truth in Cristiano Ronaldo being close to a move back to Sporting. Ronaldo doesn't want to drop out of Europe's big five leagues. Sporting manager Rúben Amorim is also not in favour. It is now likely Ronaldo will stay at MUFC unless a very unexpected late-window twist occurs," Jacobs wrote.

Ronaldo was dropped from the staring XI for the 20-time English champions' 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday. Despite his omission, the Dutch coach has no doubt the five-time Champions League winner can adapt to his system and perform at a high level.

"I think he can. In his whole career, he, under several managers, he did in several styles and systems. He always performed, so, why he can't do this? For me, his age is not an issue. If you are young, you are good enough, and when you are old and you still deliver the performance, you are also good enough," Ten Hag said.

The Ronaldo transfer saga is likely to drag on until the final hours of the transfer window, which closes on Sept. 1. At the moment, it does seem like he will see out his contract at Old Trafford, while Mendes continues to shop him around to clubs in the Champions League.