Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Manchester United's upcoming preseason tour after requesting a transfer.

"Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in the party departing for Thailand as he has been granted additional time off to deal with a family issue," the club said in a statement.

Ronaldo has been seeking an exit from United in hopes of landing with a club that is participating in the UEFA Champions League next season, per Rob Dawson of ESPN.

The 37-year-old made his return to Manchester United last summer, 12 years after departing for Real Madrid.

Despite a hero's welcome at Old Trafford, Ronaldo watched on as teammates failed to keep up with his form. United finished in sixth place in the Premier League and didn't win any trophies, letting a 24-goal season from Ronaldo go to waste.

The club has stated that Ronaldo is not available for transfer. He has one year remaining on his contract but was reportedly angered when United cut his and the rest of the squad's salaries by 25 percent after their failure to qualify for the Champions League, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News.

Ronaldo will make £360,000 rather than £480,000 per week next season.

United is set to play its first exhibition game on the preseason tour against Liverpool in Thailand on July 12. The club will then play matches against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in Australia.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was absent Monday for the club's offseason training because of family reasons, according to ESPN's Rob Dawson.

Ronaldo's future at United has come into doubt in recent days, with Dawson reporting Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Napoli have all registered some level of interest in acquiring him.

Mark Ogden of ESPN reported Ronaldo's absence from preseason training could extend well beyond Monday: "It is also unclear as to whether Ronaldo will fly to Bangkok on Friday with the rest of the squad for the start of United's 2½-week tour of Thailand and Australia."

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, representatives for the 37-year-old have continued discussions with Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly and club co-director Behdad Eghbali.

They are "thought to be intrigued by the concept of recruiting such an iconic figure," per Ornstein.

Ogden cast doubt on whether Manchester United would be willing to send Ronaldo to a domestic rival:

Sources have told ESPN, however, that United would be open to offloading Ronaldo, 37, if a club outside the Premier League is prepared to take on the final 12 months of his £500,000-a-week contract. [...]

A move to Chelsea would, right now, be unpalatable to United due to the club's determination to qualify for the 2023-24 Champions League. With Chelsea being a direct competitor for a top-four finish in the Premier League, there is little prospect of Ronaldo being allowed to move to Stamford Bridge, but there would be less resistance within the United hierarchy to a deal being struck with Bayern, Napoli or any other European team that may yet emerge as a potential destination.

Dawson reported June 26 that United informed Ronaldo they don't intend to sell him, and first-year manager Erik ten Hag "is banking on having Ronaldo in his squad next season."

Still, a transfer would seemingly benefit both parties.

The Portuguese forward would have the opportunity to compete in the Champions League elsewhere. Thanks to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, Manchester United only qualified for the Europa League.

The Red Devils, meanwhile, could part ways with a player whose individual impact may not be helping the collective.

Especially given his age, Ronaldo's raw numbers continue to be impressive. He had 18 goals and three assists in 30 Premier League appearances, adding another six goals in seven Champions League fixtures.

But making Ronaldo your lead striker at this point in his career can create tactical issues elsewhere. By virtue of his status, he can also marginalize other attackers within the squad. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were largely anonymous last season.

Ogden described the current situation as the "endgame" of Ronaldo's United tenure. Whether it's for Chelsea or a major club abroad, his exit might be inevitable at this point regardless of how much Ten Hag might have planned on having him in the forward line.

Manchester United are insisting that Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale this summer as they want him to remain with the club, according to insider Fabrizio Romano.

The news comes after multiple reports on Saturday indicated that Ronaldo requested a transfer from United "so he can continue to play Champions League football" in 2022-23.

The Red Devils' lack of success in 2021-22 likely contributed to Ronaldo's decision to request a transfer.

Manchester United finished the 2021-22 campaign sixth in the Premier League. The Red Devils were also eliminated in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, falling 2-1 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid.

Though Ronaldo had an impressive individual year, scoring 24 goals across all competitions, United will not compete in the Champions League next season, something that the Portuguese superstar is reportedly upset with.

Ronaldo won the Champions League with United during his first stint with the club in 2008 and also won it four times with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018). He failed to win a Champions League title during his three seasons with Juventus from 2018-21 and is looking to compete for another title as soon as possible.

Ronaldo is also said to be frustrated by the lack of progress United has made in this summer's transfer market under manager Erik ten Hag, according to Record, a Portuguese newspaper (h/t Mirror's Nathan Ridley).

However, the 37-year-old expressed his commitment to remaining with the club for the 2022-23 season last month.

"I was happy of course to be back at a club that really raised my career. So it was unbelievable," he told the club's official website. "The feeling when I [came] back again, it was nice to feel the supporters. The happiness of them was great. I was—and still—very happy to be here."

Ronaldo added:

"It's still my motivation to carry on, just working hard. Still love the passion for the game, and of course, Manchester and my teammates help me all the way so I have to appreciate all the people who help Cristiano.

"But the most important thing for me is to try to win the games and try to win some championship or some cup but I believe that Manchester will be where they belong. Sometimes it takes time, but I still believe."

That said, Ronaldo has been linked to a number of other clubs, including Premier League side Chelsea, after owner Todd Boehly met with his agent, Jorge Mendes, in Portugal last month to discuss the possibility of the star forward joining the Blues, per The Athletic's David Ornstein and Dan Sheldon.

Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich are also said to be targeting Ronaldo as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who is looking to be transferred to Barcelona this summer, per AS (h/t ESPN).

However, it's unclear if Ronaldo would be open to joining Bayern Munich or if he even has a specific club in mind.

Cristiano Ronaldo has asked Manchester United to let him leave this summer if the club receives a reasonable transfer offer, per Duncan Castles of The Times.

David Ornstein of The Athletic later confirmed the report.

The 37-year-old Portuguese is hoping to play in the UEFA Champions League for the remainder of his career, but Manchester United didn't qualify after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

Ronaldo has appeared in Champions League in each of the last 19 years with Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid, winning five titles in this stretch. He has never played in the Europa League, only playing one season in the UEFA Cup as a teenager with Sporting CP.

Rob Dawson of ESPN reported last month that Manchester United had told Ronaldo he was not available for transfer, with new manager Erik ten Hag planning on having Ronaldo for the 2022-23 season.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner led the Red Devils with 18 league goals in 2021-22, adding six more in six Champions League matches. He was named to the PFA Team of the Year in England.

Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, met with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly last month, per Ornstein and Dan Sheldon of The Athletic. The player has also been linked with Bayern Munich this summer, per Jacob Ranson of the Daily Mail.

Ornstein noted Napoli are also "understood to be interested," while PSG "are not currently interested" in pursuing Ronaldo.

If he were to leave, Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United would be cut short at just one year after he returned to the club. Ronaldo first signed for the Red Devils from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 and went on to score 118 goals in 292 games while winning three Premier League titles and a Champions League in a six-year stay.

He moved on to Real Madrid in 2009 for a world-record transfer fee of $130 million, winning four more Champions League titles and two league titles. He then won two Italian league titles with Juventus in three years before making a sensational return to United last summer.

While Ronaldo recorded reasonable individual statistics, he was unable to lift his team, which went from finishing second in 2020-21 to ending up sixth in 2021-22.

Cristiano Ronaldo's legal team is seeking a payment of $626,000 from the lawyer of Kathryn Mayorga after her lawsuit accusing him of rape was dismissed.

Per the Associated Press, Ronaldo's attorney, Peter Christiansen, asked United States District Court Judge Jennifer Dorsey to make Mayorga's attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, personally responsible for the payment.

On June 10, Dorsey dismissed the case against Ronaldo for "bad-faith conduct" by Stovall because his case centered on stolen or leaked documents.

In 2018, Mayorga filed a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, accusing Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009.

Mayorga said she was coerced by Ronaldo and his legal team into signing a settlement and non-disclosure agreement in exchange for a payment of $375,000 at the time but argued the agreement should be thrown out.

Mayorga's accusation and non-disclosure agreement was first reported by Football Leaks (via German newspaper Der Spiegel). Christian Schertz, a lawyer for the Manchester United star, called the reporting of the news "blatantly illegal" in a statement released after the woman's lawsuit came out.

"It violates the personal rights of our client Cristiano Ronaldo in an exceptionally serious way," Schertz said. "This is an inadmissible reporting of suspicions in the area of privacy."

Ronaldo denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me," he wrote on Twitter in 2018 (h/t CNN.com). "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

According to the Associated Press report, Ronaldo's legal team "does not dispute Ronaldo met Mayorga and they had sex in June 2009, but maintained it was consensual."

Mayorga also requested that a police investigation be opened after filing her lawsuit, but Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson announced in July 2019 that no criminal charges would be filed because the allegations could not "be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

Dorsey's ruling earlier this month meant Mayorga did not have the option to file her lawsuit again.

Stovall must respond to the latest request from Ronaldo's team with the court by July 8.

Manchester United reportedly don't plan to let Cristiano Ronaldo leave this summer, according to Rob Dawson of ESPN.

The club has told Ronaldo he is not available for transfer, while those in charge "want and expect" him to be on the roster in 2022-23.

New manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly "banking" on Ronaldo being part of the team next year, per Dawson.

The report comes after new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly met with Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, last week, per David Ornstein and Dan Sheldon of The Athletic. The forward has also been linked with a return to Juventus this offseason, while other top clubs remain interested.

Ronaldo returned to the Premier League last summer for the first time since 2008-09 and came through with 18 goals, third-most in the EPL. He was named to the PFA Team of the Year at forward over Tottenham stars Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

Despite the production, Manchester United finished sixth in the league and missed out on the UEFA Champions League for next season.

Dawson reported Ronaldo plans to spend the rest of his career playing in the Champions League, which isn't surprising considering his resume. The 37-year-old has won Champions League five times in his career and has appeared in the competition in each of the last 20 years with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

On an individual level, the superstar has won the Ballon d'Or five times as the best player in the world.

It's hard to imagine him playing in the second-tier Europa League, which he hasn't appeared in since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. He played two matches as a 17-year-old at Sporting CP.

Manchester United are still counting on him to represent the club as it looks to win trophies and get back to the top of the Premier League table.

Cristiano Ronaldo could be moving on from Manchester United in the near future despite rejoining the club in September on a transfer from Juventus.

New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly met with Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, in Portugal last week to discuss the possibility of the Portuguese forward joining the Blues, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein and Dan Sheldon.

The news comes after Record, a Portuguese newspaper, reported Ronaldo was frustrated by the lack of progress in the transfer market under manager Erik ten Hag and was ready to move on from United (h/t Mirror's Nathan Ridley).

Ronaldo has also been linked to Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich as a possible replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who is eyeing a move to Barcelona, per AS (h/t ESPN). That said, Bayern has already added former Liverpool star Sadio Mane this summer, and it's unclear if Ronaldo would be interested in joining the German side.

If Ronaldo were to join Chelsea, he would be an unbelievable replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who is set to return to Inter Milan this summer, according to Sky Sports. He'd also join a forward group that includes Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner.

Despite the rumors, Ronaldo is under contract with Manchester United through the 2022-23 season, and Sky Sports recently reported that he is expected to remain with the Red Devils. In addition, the 37-year-old said earlier this month that he is committed to remaining with United.

"I was happy of course to be back at a club that really raised my career. So it was unbelievable," he told the club's official website. "The feeling when I [came] back again, it was nice to feel the supporters. The happiness of them as great. I was—and still am—very happy to be here."

Ronaldo added:

"It's still my motivation to carry on working hard, to still love the passion for the game, and of course Manchester and my teammates help me all the way so I have to appreciate all the people who help Cristiano.

"But the most important thing for me is to try to win the games and try to win some championship or some cup but I believe that Manchester will be where they belong. Sometimes it takes time, but I still believe."

Manchester United had a disappointing 2021-22 season with the return of Ronaldo, finishing sixth in the Premier League, the club's worst finish since the 2018-19 campaign. However, Ronaldo did have an impressive individual season, scoring 24 goals across all competitions.

While the Red Devils have yet to make a move this summer, they have been linked to a number of players, including Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, Ajax forward Antony and Brentford midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The club will have to make some moves if it hopes to remain competitive in 2022-23 following the departures of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by former model Kathryn Mayorga concerning rape allegations from 2009 against Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo because of "bad faith" actions by her attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall.

Ken Ritter of the Associated Press reported Dorsey ruled Friday the case couldn't proceed because evidence used by Mayorga's legal team was obtained through stolen or leaked documents, including communication between Ronaldo and his attorneys.

"I find that the procurement and continued use of these documents was bad faith, and simply disqualifying Stovall will not cure the prejudice to Ronaldo because the misappropriated documents and their confidential contents have been woven into the very fabric of Mayorga's claims," Dorsey said. "Harsh sanctions are merited."

Mayorga said she met Ronaldo at a Vegas nightclub and joined him with other people in his hotel suite, where she said the sexual assault later took place. Ronaldo has maintained they had consensual sex.

She met with police the following day but didn't provide investigators with Ronaldo's name or location of the alleged assault.

In 2018, Mayorga filed the civil case in Nevada—it was later moved from state court to federal court—and police also decided to reopen the criminal investigation after Mayorga requested they do so.

Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson said in July 2019 no charges would be filed because there wasn't enough evidence to prove Mayorga's allegations beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

Mayorga, who received $375,000 from Ronaldo in 2010 as part of a confidentiality agreement following her saying he had raped her, moved forward with the civil lawsuit seeking more than $68 million in damages.

Her legal team argued documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel invalidated the prior deal, and Stovall said during the case his client lacked the "mental capacity" to sign the 2010 agreement, per Ritter.

Neither legal team has publicly commented on Friday's ruling.

Ronaldo is in his second stint with Manchester United after stops with Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid and Juventus throughout his club career.

The 37-year-old forward is also captain of Portugal's national team, which qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The event kicks off in November.

Mayorga's attorneys can appeal Friday's ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Manchester United announced Wednesday midfielder Paul Pogba will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June.

Pogba, who started his senior career with United in 2011, returned to Old Trafford in 2016 after a four-year stint with Juventus. He recorded one goal and nine assists across 20 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils this season.

"Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Paul on his successful career, and thank him for his contributions to Manchester United," the club wrote in a statement. "We wish him all the best for the next steps on a remarkable journey."

OFFICIAL: Manchester United confirm Paul Pogba will leave the club as a free agent for the second time pic.twitter.com/3YnSRh4PXU

— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 1, 2022

James Westwood of Goal reported Juve is "leading the race" to sign the 29-year-old French international once again, though Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also involved.

Pogba hinted at his frustration while playing for France in March, telling Telefoot (via ESPN) United's failure to contend for trophies led to "difficult times."

"I want to win titles, I want to play for something," he said. "Whether it be this year or even the previous ones, we haven't won anything. That's what's sad, in the end."

United fell well short of competing for a title in 2021-22. It finished sixth in the Premier League and failed to make a deep run in any knockout tournament—the UEFA Champions League (round of 16), FA Cup (fourth round) or EFL Cup (third round).

It's likely to cause several squad changes over the summer as the Red Devils prepare to begin a new era under manager Erik ten Hag, who arrives from Ajax.

With Pogba's departure confirmed, United has opened discussions with Barcelona about fellow midfielder Frenkie de Jong, per Sky Sports' Dan Sansom.

De Jong tallied three goals and three assists in 32 La Liga matches for Barca this season.

Meanwhile, the interest from three high-profile clubs like Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid shows belief Pogba can reignite his career with a transfer.

The playmaking midfielder has still shown glimpses of being a high-impact performer during his stints with the French national team, but those kinds of performances were few and far between with United.

If he does land with a marquee club, he'll likely need to showcase more consistent top form to remain a regular first-team selection in 2022-23.

Lionel Messi is the world's highest-paid athlete. 

Per Brett Knight of Forbes.com, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar has earned $130 million between his on-field contracts and endorsement deals over the past 12 months. 

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers ($121.2 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United ($115 million) are the only other athletes who made at least $100 million in the previous year. 

Forbes' Highest-Paid Athletes

1. Lionel Messi, Soccer ($130 million)

2. LeBron James, Basketball ($121.2 million)

3. Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer ($115 million)

4. Neymar, Soccer ($95 million)

5. Stephen Curry, Basketball ($92.8 million)

6. Kevin Durant, Basketball ($92.1 million)

7. Roger Federer, Tennis ($90.7 million)

8. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Boxing ($90 million)

9. Tom Brady, American football ($83.9 million)

10. Giannis Antetokounmpo, NBA ($80.9 million)

Two of the top four earners from last year's list, including Conor McGregor at No. 1, fell out of the top 10 this year.

McGregor had earnings of $180 million when the 2021 list was released. Those earnings would have included both of his UFC fights against Dustin Poirier, which generated a combined 3.1 million pay-per-view buys. 

The outspoken UFC star also made $150 million through the sale of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ranked No. 4 on the 2021 list with $107.5 million in total earnings. The bulk of his money came from his contract extension, which included $95 million fully guaranteed at signing. 

The three soccer stars and Canelo Alvarez are the only athletes in the top 10 who earn most of their money through their actual sport. 

Messi signed a two-year deal with PSG in August that the Associated Press reported is worth $41 million in net value annually. 

Each of the other six athletes on the list earns more than half of their money through off-field deals.

The majority of Alvarez's money is earned in the boxing ring. He made at least $40 million from the previous year in each of his two wins over Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant. 

Knight noted Alvarez's loss to Dmitry Bivol on May 7 wasn't included because it falls outside of Forbes' tracking window. 

Roger Federer has the largest gap between on-court ($700,000) and endorsements ($90 million). He has only played in six tournaments since the start of 2020, including none so far this year, due to injuries. 

According to Knight, Federer's $90 million in off-court money is the most in all sports, and it comes from deals with companies that include Uniqlo, Rolex and Swiss shoe brand On. 

Per Eric Smith of Outside Business Journal, On Running raised $746 million in an initial public offering when it debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in September and has an estimated market value of $7.3 billion. 

James ranks second in off-field earnings, with $80 million made over the past year. He invested in Tonal, the at-home training machine, in October. The four-time NBA MVP also announced a multiyear partnership with Crypto.com in January.  

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the youngest athlete in the top 10. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar is only 27 years old and has increased his portfolio thanks to deals with NFTSTAR, WhatsApp and the Google Pixel 6 phone. 

Antetokounmpo also has the largest contract in the NBA right now with a total value of $228.2 million.