The Erik ten Hag era over at Manchester United is off to a rocky start as Cristiano Ronaldo just expressed his desire to leave Old Trafford this summer.
The 37-year-old hasn’t trained with the squad due to family reasons, so he’s going to miss their Thailand tour where they’ll face Premier League rivals Liverpool on July 12.
United have reiterated that CR7 is not for sale, although his agent Jorge Mendes is meeting with several clubs to try and negotiate a possible sale.
Meanwhile, Tottenham and Manchester City have been shrewd in their transfer business and they’ll be confirming their newest acquisitions this week, while Chelsea are still searching for their first arrival this offseason.
SBOTOP has you covered in the transfer market as today we’ll share to you the latest Premier League 2022 updates.
Ronaldo to miss pre-season trip amid reports that he’s unhappy
Cristiano Ronaldo’s desire to leave Manchester United can be attributed to two main factors.
Manchester United won’t be playing in the Champions League next season because they finished outside of the top four, so this means that Ronaldo will be playing in the Europa League for the first time since 2002 when he was still a 17-year-old with Sporting Lisbon.
The Red Devils’ failure to qualify for the biggest club tournament has also triggered a substantial reduction on players’ salaries, which sources say has added to CR7’s frustrations.
The Portuguese is earning £480,000 a week since rejoining United last year. But in the forthcoming season, his wages will be cut to £360,000 – which is 25-per cent less.
Moreover, United’s slow activity in the transfer market compared to their rivals has also made him mad given his ambition to pursue more trophies as he approaches the twilight of his illustrious career.
Erik ten Hag and co. are trying their best to make Ronaldo happy with hopes that he can change his mind.
They’ve recently signed Tyrell Malacia to address their need of bolstering their full-back depth while they’ve agreed to terms with Christian Eriksen, who played for Brentford last season. Lisandro Martinez, another target of theirs, has reportedly chosen to join Manchester United over Arsenal.
Meanwhile, their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong has slowed by the £17-M owed in deferred salary payments by Barcelona because of their financial predicament. Patience will be required to complete this particular signing.
Tottenham and Manchester City to finalize latest additions
Tottenham and Manchester City have raised the bar off the pitch as they’ve ticked the boxes from their checklists thus far, boosting their Premier League 2022 odds next season.
Spurs have added Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, and Fraser Forster while selling Steven Bergwijn to Ajax, and they recently agreed to a deal with Clement Lenglet.
The French centre-back will join Spurs on loan for the 2022-23 campaign after falling out of rotation at Barcelona under Xavi. Lenglet still has four years left on his current deal at Camp Nou.
Following the additions of Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips, City are close to getting Marc Cucurella from Brighton. The Seagulls have put a £45-M price tag on the Spaniard, which is something that the Sky Blues can afford with the funds raised by Gabriel Jesus and Gavin Bazunu’s departures.
Oleksandr Zinchenko is tipped to leave the Etihad this summer and Manchester City are listening to offers, so adding Cucurella will be their utmost priority as of the moment.
Chelsea have yet to hit the ground running
Time is ticking for Todd Boehly since he has yet to bring in a new signing this summer.
The closest they’ve got is Raheem Sterling, who reportedly agreed to leave Manchester City via a £45-M transfer fee. Meanwhile, they’re still pushing to get Raphinha despite reports that he has a preference for Barcelona.
With Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, and Hakim Ziyech failing to find consistency last season, it’s not surprising that the Blues are keen on shoring up front.
They’ve also been linked to Cristiano Ronaldo since Todd Boehly sees him as a marquee signing, but he doesn’t particularly fit with Thomas Tuchel’s style of play.
Chelsea are also under pressure to add a centre-back following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. They’ve been linked to Jules Kounde, Nathan Ake, and Mattihjs de Ligt, but nothing imminent as of now.
The Blues kick off their pre-season tour on July 16 where they’ll compete against Club America, Charlotte FC, and Arsenal in the US. After that, they’ll fly to Italy to face Serie A club Udinese on July 29.
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