Is Newcastle United eyeing Cristiano Ronaldo after his Manchester United ouster?

Cristiano Ronaldo is done and dusted with his second spell at Manchester United. As he hunts for a new club, he has been linked to a move to Newcastle United. But is the club indeed eyeing him?

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Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo has exited English giants Manchester United on a sour note following his combustive interview with famed football journalist Piers Morgan on TalkTV. On Tuesday, the club terminated his contract with mutual agreement, as he officially became a free agent. Now that he is in the hunt for a new club, early reports have suggested that fellow English giants Chelsea is in the race, along with rising force Newcastle United. Both clubs have substantial financial backing and can afford the Portuguese. However, are either of the clubs eyeing Ronaldo, especially Newcastle? Currently, it seems to be different.

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As per 90min, Ronaldo’s representatives met Newcastle a few days back to potentially discuss a move if Ronaldo left United. However, the Magpies informed them that they did not intend to make a move for him and would not be offered a deal. While the club wants to explore attacking options in January, the Portuguese is not in the plans.

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Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe recently spoke on the issue and said, “We’re trying to provide long-term growth. We’ve got a longer-term vision. We have quite an ageing squad, so we probably need to invest in more young players. That’s probably a big part of our progression. We need to get the average age down, so it might not be a signing we would necessarily look to make - but not underestimate the player’s quality.”