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Cristiano Ronaldo told Jorge Mendes they were ‘done’ if he failed to find big transfer

Published 13:28 24 Jan 2023 GMT

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Ronaldo was linked with Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Cristiano Ronaldo allegedly told his long-time agent Jorge Mendes that their relationship would be 'done' if he failed to secure him a move to either Bayern Munich or Chelsea. After failing to garner interest from the two in question Ronaldo opted to join Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr after he agreed to terminate his contract at Manchester United. Ronaldo split from his long-time agent during that spell after his controversial TV interview with Piers Morgan. During that interview, the 37-year-old gave a damning assessment of the state of affairs at the club. From Erik ten Hag to the Glazers, every corner of the club was criticised. Mendes however disagreed with his client conducting the interview, which therefore saw their partnership terminated. The forward's attempt to leave United in the summer - after they failed to secure Champions League qualification - were well documented and Spanish newspaper El Mundo have revealed that the Portugal international issued an ultimatum to Mendes. Within the ultimatum, Ronaldo stressed that their relationship would break down if Mendes was unable to secure him a transfer to either Bayern Munich or Chelsea. Chelsea did register their interest shortly after confirmation of co-owner Todd Boehly's takeover but decided against making a move as then-manager, Thomas Tuchel didn't think he would be the right fit for his side. Bayern were also interested but didn't make any concrete approach, opting to sign Liverpool's Sadio Mané instead. The club's CEO, Oliver Kahn, also publicly ruled out any deal. At the time, he said: "I can rule out a move for Ronaldo. We considered it, it's our duty. We all love Ronaldo but we have a different strategy. We have a clear idea, a clear philosophy of how our squad should be put together." Any signs of Ronaldo wanting a move to a fellow European giant weren't evident in his first press conference as an Al Nassr player. He claimed that 'his work in Europe is done' and that he was looking forward to his new challenge in Saudi Arabia.