Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have participated in his final match for Manchester United already.
According to rumors, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is considering replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in January with Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix.
The latter’s immediate future at Old Trafford is currently in doubt as a result of a disagreement with Ten Hag earlier this week following his refusal to enter the game as a substitute during United’s victory over Tottenham.
Although Ronaldo’s contract is also slated to expire at the end of the current campaign, recent developments have increased the likelihood that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will leave when the transfer market reopens in January.
According to AS, Ten Hag has identified Felix as a potential target to pursue at the beginning of the year, suggesting that he is already searching the market for Ronaldo’s future successor at United.
Felix has sought to leave Atletico three times already and is determined to join a different team in January after losing Diego Simeone’s favor.
Although the club leadership would love for him to leave at the end of the season, the Portuguese forward has played just 37 minutes of football in Atletico’s previous six games and has become bored with life on the bench.
This hasn’t stopped United, though, as the Red Devils want to launch an approach in January after getting in touch with Atletico to express their interest in hiring him.
A solid performance at the forthcoming World Cup will almost certainly raise Felix’s market value, making a successful move for him in the mid-season window “difficult.”
Other teams, such as PSG and Bayern Munich, are rumored to be monitoring Felix’s position as well. The striker’s inner circle is reportedly already in discussions with the French team, who are trying to persuade him to sign on with them in January.
However, Bayern is said to have a long-standing interest in him, and if given the chance to compete for his services in January, that desire may reignite.
