It’s no secret that Cristiano Ronaldo would like to leave Manchester United this summer. Finding a place to go, though, has proven to be a greater challenge than he perhaps would have anticipated.
The 37-year-old has been rebuked by a host of clubs this summer, both in public and in media reports. Now Borussia Dortmund can be added to the list of teams to publicly reject the idea of signing the unsettled Portuguese star.
On Thursday, Bild reported that Dortmund was the latest club Ronaldo had eyed as a possible destination. That idea lasted exactly 24 hours.
At a press conference on Friday, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke poured cold water on the idea of Ronaldo wearing black and yellow.
Watzke said: “I love this player, it’s certainly a charming idea to see Cristiano Ronaldo play at Signal Iduna Park. But there is no contact at all between those involved. So you should stop talking about it.”
Big clubs turning down the chance to sign Ronaldo has become something of theme this summer.
The Evening Standard reported Chelsea was offered the forward by his agent Jorge Mendes, but head coach Thomas Tuchel wasn’t keen on the idea.
According to ESPN, Mendes also offered Ronaldo to Paris Saint-Germain, but the French champion also turned down the agent’s advances.
At least two other teams have denied they are moving for Ronaldo in a more public fashion.
Bayern Munich
“We discussed about Cristiano Ronaldo internally – I consider him one of greatest footballers ever,” Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn told Kicker.
“Then we came to conclusion that, despite appreciation for Cristiano, he would not fit into our philosophy in the current situation.”