Manchester United are reportedly ready to terminate Cristiano Ronaldo's contract, if he doesn't improve his attitude at the club.
Ronaldo has been trying to leave Old Trafford all summer, having told the club of his desire to leave just one year after returning after 12 years away.
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Major club, after major club, after major club have decided against signing the 37-year-old, with AC Milan and Inter Milan the latest pairing, according to reports.
Despite wanting to leave, Ronaldo started on Saturday evening, as United were left utterly embarrassed by Brentford, in a 4-0 hammering that left them bottom of the Premier League.
It won't have helped the former Real Madrid star's mood at all and he didn't even bother clapping the fans or shaking hands with Erik ten Hag at full time.
Now, according to Sky Sports, he's being told to change his attitude or risk having his contract terminated with another year to go on it.
It would seem rather counterintuitive to offer him his release, having previously publicly declared that the five time Ballon d'Or winner is not for sale.
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However, it might not be the worst idea for the club to just end things, rather than allow the saga to continue until the end of the month.
According to previous reports, Ronaldo's own teammates were already 'fed up' of the all time top goalscorer in men's football, after pre season.
Ronaldo missed all of the preparations for the new campaign for 'personal reasons,' as they toured Australia and Thailand to get ready.
He was on the bench in the opening day defeat to Brighton, even with Anthony Martial's injury, but started against Brentford to zero effect.
If the club were to terminate his contract then they'd still have to pay his wages, so a mutual termination may actually be what is on offer.
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That would mean Ronaldo being able to negotiate with clubs without having to worry about the possibility of them not wanting to pay a transfer fee.
He would obviously need to play ahead of the World Cup in Qatar this winter, otherwise he might struggle to make the squad for the 2016 Euros champions.
Ten Hag still wants to bring a forward into the club, whether Ronaldo leaves or not, and would have been interested to see Ajax forward Antony destroy three opposing defenders this weekend.
According to further reports, the club have denied that they are willing to terminate Ronaldo's contract.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo