Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim has played down speculation linking Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo with a return to the club.
The 37-year-old is allegedly looking to leave Old Trafford this summer, just 12 months after returning to the club from Juventus.
The likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are all thought to have turned down the chance to sign Ronaldo this summer, while the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is understood to have rejected a big-money offer to move to Saudi Arabia.
A return to Sporting, where Ronaldo began his professional career back in 2002, has since been mooted, but Amorim has spoken publicly to deny such reports.
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Speaking to reporters, via the Manchester Evening News, on rumours linking Ronaldo with a return to Sporting, Amorim said: "Is Ronaldo a chance?
"I already heard that, I don't read anything, I don't see anything. For me the reality is different, keeping my players."
Ronaldo spent just once year with Sporting's senior side before joining Sir Alex Ferguson at United in 2003, recording five goals and six assists in 31 appearances across all tournaments.
Sporting will be competing in the Champions League next season, something which Ronaldo is craving and cannot be offered to him by the Red Devils, but a potential switch to his homeland with Sporting is seemingly not on the cards at present.
One potential destination for the Portuguese legend is Atletico Madrid, who are believed to be open to the prospect of signing the former Real Madrid man this summer.
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A recent report claims that Ronaldo is prepared to take a wage cut to force through an exit from the Red Devils and the player's agent Jorge Mendes is planning for his client to link up with Diego Simeone.
However, a proposed switch to Atletico would likely depend on whether the La Liga club can offload either Antoine Griezmann or Alvaro Morata this summer.
Even though United head coach Erik ten Hag has publicly reiterated that he intends to keep Ronaldo for the 2022-23 season, the forward's future in Manchester remains uncertain.
Ronaldo, who was not part of United's squad on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, has been training alone in his homeland and it remains unknown as to whether he will be involved in their opening Premier League game of the new season at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on August 7.
Ronaldo, who will see his contract expire in June 2023, made 38 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions last season, scoring 24 goals and registering three assists.
Oliver Thomas
