Sporting Lisbon could reportedly try to offer Cristiano Ronaldo an escape route from Manchester United in January.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has endured a tumultuous few months with the Red Devils since reportedly trying and failing to force a move away in the summer.
Jorge Mendes was unable to engineer a move elsewhere for his client, who subsequently remained at the club only to find himself on the fringes of the team under Erik ten Hag.
Tensions reached boiling point when Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur, storming down the tunnel and being dropped from the squad as a result.
Ronaldo made a swift return to start and score in the Europa League against Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday, but speculation over his next career move is beginning to grow.
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The 37-year-old is only under contract at Old Trafford until the end of the season with the option of a further 12 months, and the expectation is that he will leave on a free transfer in 2023.
However, The Mirror claims that Ronaldo's former club Sporting could try to test Man United's resolve in January as they aim for a spectacular reunion with their former starlet.
Ronaldo burst onto the scene with the Lisbon club as a teenager, scoring five goals and setting up six more in 31 games before earning his move to Man United in 2003.
Should Sporting end up pressing ahead with a mid-season deal for the attacker, the report adds that Man United would agree a pay-off on a chunk of his mammoth £500k-a-week wages.
As a compromise, Ruben Amorim's side would then fork out the majority of Ronaldo's salary, and he could then be presented with the chance to compete in the Champions League knockout stages if Sporting make it through Group D.
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Ten Hag will ultimately have the final say on Ronaldo's future, but the Dutchman recently insisted that he was counting on the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus man for the remainder of the season.
Ronaldo's strike against Sheriff Tiraspol represented his first Old Trafford goal of the season and just his third in all competitions for the Red Devils under Ten Hag's management.
The Portugal international has three goals and one assist from 13 games in 2022-23, starting just twice in the Premier League against Brentford and Newcastle United.
Ronaldo will aim to hold his place in the first XI when Man United resume domestic duties at home to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
Ben Knapton
