Barcelona was rumoured to have considered signing Cristiano Ronaldo after news of the striker's desire to leave Manchester United this summer for a shot at Champions League glory surfaced.
Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who has expressed his desire to leave Manchester United for a shot at Champions League glory, continues to hog the headlines with several reports emerging out of Europe on potential transfer destinations this summer. One such speculation that did the rounds was Barcelona considered signing the Portuguese talisman. However, club President Joan Laporta has broken his silence, stating that the Catalans wanted only Robert Lewandowski and added that Ronaldo's future is not his business.
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"There always appears a lot of news," Laporta told CBS Sports when asked if Barcelona considered signing the former Real Madrid legend. "But in the end, the truth is we wanted Lewandowski. We have a very good relationship with Jorge Mendes. I have known him for a long time. He is one of the best player agents. He knows how to do his job, and I respect him."
It appears that Laporta is making every effort to get Mendes' approval. The cause is probably unrelated to the present transfer market, but building a solid rapport with the Portuguese agent can eventually result in deals for Barca in the future.
"In this case, we decided to go for Lewandowski and knew he was crucial to our success. This is the reality. The other [Ronaldo] topic is just part of the 'little history' in football. It's a very nice story, but you will always hear lots of contradictory news about it," Laporta added.
"Ronaldo is a very good professional, and he's still so fit. He's a player who is very ambitious and competitive, and I'm sure he has a lot of options. He's still a player of Manchester United – an extraordinary club who I respect very much. His future is not my business. It's the business of Manchester United and Cristiano," the Barcelona President concluded.
Ronaldo, who missed Manchester United's tour to Thailand and Australia, will feature in his first pre-season game under new manager Erik ten Hag against Rayo Vallenco at Old Trafford on Sunday. While all eyes will be on how the five-time Ballon d'Or performs under the Dutchman, reports and rumours surrounding the striker's future don't seem to rest.