Manchester United are considering taking the extraordinary step of terminating Cristiano Ronaldo's contract, according to reports.
The Portugal international informed the club of his desire to depart a few days before the start of pre-season.
Ronaldo missed United's tour of Thailand and Australia, ostensibly due to a family issue.
But despite his wish to seek pastures new, Ronaldo has struggled to find a buyer and may now be forced to spend another campaign at Old Trafford.
The striker made his first start of the Premier League season on Saturday as United suffered a stunning 4-0 thrashing by Brentford.
And his chances of securing a move elsewhere may have received a boost, with Sky Sports reporting on Sunday that United are considering terminating his contract unless Ronaldo improves his attitude.
However, a subsequent story states that the Red Devils have denied they are considering such a drastic step.
Nevertheless, it is clear that all is not well with Ronaldo right now, as the Portuguese attempts to secure a switch to a club playing in the Champions League.
After United finished second under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020/21, Ronaldo would have expected to be involved in a Premier League title challenge last term.
Instead, the club scraped a sixth-place finish and only qualified for the Europa League by a narrow margin.
It is still early days in the current campaign, but back-to-back defeats by Brentford and Brighton have showed that United remain stuck in a rut.
Ronaldo will hope that offers come in for him before the transfer window closes on September 1.
According to The Athletic, Erik ten Hag has changed his view of the Ronaldo situation.
Having initially wanted to keep the 37-year-old at all costs, the new United boss is now open to letting him go.
However, Ten Hag would only sanction Ronaldo's departure if the club is able to replace him effectively.
