Cristiano Ronaldo 'considering' going back on Man Utd promise with Premier League return
By Tom Gott
Cristiano Ronaldo could go back on a promise he made to former club Manchester United by returning to England with cross-town rivals Manchester City.
After three years with Juventus, Ronaldo is ready to move on in search of a new goal and had been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain, whose interest has now subsided following their acquisition of Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, is now looking for an alternative home for the 36-year-old, and according to Corriere dello Sport, the idea of a move to the blue side of Manchester has been discussed.
Mendes has offered Ronaldo's services to City boss Pep Guardiola, who is looking for a new striker this summer. The Spaniard is facing an uphill battle to sign Tottenham's Harry Kane and could be forced to look for a short-term alternative, and they don't come much better than Ronaldo.
City owner Sheikh Mansour is now said to be seriously considering launching a move for Ronaldo, but such a return to Manchester may not go down well with United fans because of a promise the winger made to them back in 2013.
"To play for City not United? I’m not going to do that," he said (via Goal). "Why? Because my heart’s in Manchester United, that’s why.
"I can say it would be very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very difficult to play at Manchester City. Very difficult because of Manchester United."
Ronaldo rose to superstardom with United, racking up 118 goals in 292 games for the Red Devils and helping to win three Premier League titles and the 2007/08 Champions League.
He became the most expensive player in history at the time when Real Madrid brought him in for a whopping £80m in 2009, but their spend would end up being justified as Ronaldo became the club's all-time leading goalscorer across his nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The goals have continued to come in Italy, with Ronaldo hitting the 100 mark in his first three seasons, but he may be in line for one last shot at bumping up his Premier League numbers.